This is the Blog for MORRIS BERMAN, the author of "Dark Ages America". It includes current publications and random thoughts about U.S. Foreign Policy, including letters and reactions to publications from others.
A cultural historian and social critic, MORRIS BERMAN is the author of "Wandering God" and "The Twilight of American Culture". Since 2003 he has been a visiting professor in sociology at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
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September 22, 2018
346
Wafers-
Let us continue this enlightening discussion. Perhaps Sarah might even join us! Plus, I'd like to hear more about the Wafer Dating Service (WDS).
-mb
I recently returned from a 3+ week vacation in Germany, most of that time spent in Berlin. The history there, especially 20th century, was mind-blowing, poignant, troubling, sobering, profound. I saw how nations can decline, get into wars, etc. all throughout history. I guess now it is just the US's turn to decline in this seemingly inevitable historical dynamic.
I could go on about this, but I will restrict this comment to one Wafer-related thing regarding creeping American influence. We stayed in the Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg. This used to be a slum, now a locus of Turkish immigrants and while nice, still a bit gritty. Well, I learned from signs plastered everywhere ("Google ist kein guter Nachbar"), various graffiti, and a booklet that Google is planning to install a "campus" in a disused factory building in Kreuzberg, with the encouragement and blessing of the city government. This is intended to make Berlin a center of "innovation" and "start-ups" in Europe. The local residents are trying to resist because they fear this will lead to gentrificaiton, increases in rent prices etc. which will drive out the local lower income people and therefore profoundly change the neighborhood. I also learned that Google has it hands in all kinds of businesses, not just the search engine, maps, docs, etc. This all made me quite angry -- damn Google and damn the US for this kind of creeping and constant pressure. More to be said about this phenomenon, but enough for now.
I would also recommend “The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality” by Walter Benn Michaels. I just finished reading it and it is a good left-wing critique of identity politics. Here is an interview with Michaels that will give Wafers a taste of what the book is about.
MB, I've noticed that media + websites have made it so everyone is using buzzwords and trendy terms to describe everything, whether it's calling everyone a narcissist, claiming everyone is gaslighting everyone else, talking about self-care, or whatever else is popular. None of this is really connected, except I feel like the media has just wiped our brains of normal thinking and has instead filled us with garbage and all these buzzwords. The way terms are defined, one person may be called a narcissist, while someone else may define it as self-care. It's just insane to me. Also gaslighting now seems to mean, "you are giving me a hard time", and can be used in just about any context.
I wish people would put down the websites, buzzwords, and other trash and step back into reality. It seems bizarre if your entire life is just jumping from one zeitgeist to another and latching on to whatever buzzword or celebrity is popular at that moment.
I think what really bugs me is that people can only talk if regards to the latest buzzwords, that they have no way to converse or think outside of the current trends. This is probably the result of just starting at phones 24/7 and not getting info from anywhere else.
I haven't seen this thread posted to the blog before so here goes. A Wafer poll: does anyone have the suspicion that DJT molested Ivanka? I know there are jokes about it but there is a scene in the new Netflix documentary where Orange Julius has Ivanka and Don Jr. compete for a job opening. As it happens each tries to outdo the other by laying down absurdly lavish praise for the empire their father has built. Ivanka appears to win and Don Jr. looks anxious and frustrated, like someone who doesn't enjoy being a 'loser.' It creeped me out, I got a bad vibe watching it. Lordy what would happen if Ivanka came out #METOO against the president? What if Melania supported her? Is this just sick thinking or a declinist fantasy worth exploring?
Well, it's Saturday night, and here I am posting. I am in need of the WDS!
In the meantime, Fred has all the answers we seek. Just need to update him on the Sarah situation, and remind him that the GSWH needs to be installed asap as "vice" president, with plenty of aides available to fill water balloons full of urine. Lots and lots of beer will be made available.
"Twelve: As an educational reform, I will have the Department of Education filled with linoleum cement, the occupants being left inside. This will raise the national IQ by at least three points. I will pass an amendment to the fragments of the Constitution saying, “No federal entity or person shall say, think, suggest, or do anything whatever regarding schooling on pain of garroting.” Part of the savings from lowering the military budget will go to purchasing garrotes. The duration, content, and nature of the schools shall be left to localities without exception."
Just in case you are considering emigrating to Canada, I thought this would be necessary information before you make a decision:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-early-snow-1.4834868 'Here today and gone tomorrow': Saskatchewan hit with early snow
There was ice in my rain barrel this morning, and while I was out in the garden, digging my crop of potatoes (OK,just 200 pounds), the snow was coming down sideways.
MB -- Is WDS available to Wafers with family commitments :). I am also thinking of a startup, the inspiration for which is Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop which touted benefits of putting a jade egg in your vagina. On similar lines, what about starting "Poop" which puts eggs filled with Lorenzo Riggins and Shaneka Torres Poop into Turkey brains to turkeyfy the nation faster.
The WDS can be a parallel organization to the LDS church... It can involve canvassing door to door to recruit local Wafers for our database while accompanied by sexy look-a-likes of Sarah Palin and Warren Buffett.
Tom Shakespeare on the great life of Italian leftist Antonio Gramsci
You know that a society doesn't have long when it considers politics and business 'serious' activity, while culture is 'frivolous'. It's actually business and politics that are completely dependent on culture. To campaign for, police, or market anything is just a last ditch mechanical attempt at changing hearts that were made up long ago.
It breaks my heart to see people ready to talk garbage about politics 24/7 when they would never consider discussing literature for five minutes.
@jjarden--this quote from the decapitation story sounds like it came from The Onion: A local resident said of the horrific discovery that finding a headless body was an “unusual” occurrence: “This is a nice area. This is the kind of thing that usually happens in mob films, but not around here.”
Personally, I couldn't care less whether it's Kavanaugh or some other old shitbag put on the court, but living in a country where a mere utterly unsupported allegation is enough to destroy your reputation or possibly cost you your freedom is a very real step towards fascism--and one for which we have the liberals to thank.
Crazy fun here in Oregon. I suggest we appoint Ms Woods as head of Emergency Services since she is quite adept at handling a stolen ambulance. And please check out that face. That's the face of a born leader. https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2018/09/oregon_woman_steals_ambulance.html
I watched Michael Moore's new film "Fahrenheit 11/9" last night and encourage others to watch it. If you view it from the perspective that Moore is archiving the decline of the U.S., then you'll appreciate the film. He does place way too much hope on grassroots movements and current progressive candidates in the upcoming midterm elections to turn things around. But again, if you view it from the perspective that he's "archiving the collapse," then it's a decent film.
SPOILER ALERT
He doesn't just focus on Trump or the Republicans, but also the profit hungry news media, the crony establishment Dems (Hillary, Obama, Bill Clinton, Hoyer, Pelosi, etc), and the complacency of the American people. The most heartbreaking for me was when he highlighted the Flint Water Crisis. MI's Governor knowingly poisoned that town and when Obama flew in to the rescue, he sided with the Governor and pretended to drink Flint's water. It was just a photo op. The audience and his supporters (now former) were rightfully appalled. Moore correctly stated that Obama cracked down on more whistleblowers than any other President in history. Solid film, I'd have to say.
When and how did Google Classroom get inside our public schools? I do not remember any discussion about the pros and cons of this. It is a “free” service, but we know the price is the collection of data. The district where I live has all the Google apps for every child. The district from which I retired has some teachers using this as well. It is worldwide.
As a parent, did you give permission for a private company to collect your child's responses to homework, quizzes, and tests? Will a poem about dogs lead to ads for dog food? How many years will pass before your fifth grader's data will be rounded up into an aggregate score. Will colleges use the score to determine admissions? How much will employers pay to find out how quickly and accurately your child answered questions? Will credit companies use the score to fund loans for cars and homes? Who will hack the data?
As a society, the mega question that needs to be asked: Is looking at a screen all day starting in Kindergarten a good idea? A newspaper article last week proudly hailed the roll out of local school buses with WiFi.
"Teachers and students love Howard Zinn. But A People’s History is as closed-minded as the textbooks it replaces": https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/09/howard-zinn-in-history-class-teachers-and-a-peoples-history-of-the-united-states.html
I've heard many students say Howard Zinn's People's History is the central/sole textbook in their history course. That's a very bad practice.
Aaron, your concerns about language aren't anything new, and they predate cellfones by decades at least. You might appreciate what George Orwell has to say about the subject in "Politics and the English Language," published in 1946. What you refer to as "buzzwords," by the way, he called "prefabricated henhouses."
Based on a cursory review of us "progressive" sites, they keep delusionally talking abt resistance, revolting, shoulds/oughts tos, and lotsa movements. usa-ers have to be the dumbest, brain damaged/brain dead mother fuckers that have ever inhabited the planet. Other than sports, celebrity gossip, and how to get money--what do they talk abt?
It NEVER dawns on them that the us house is rotted beyond repair, roof gonzo, floors caving in, rats everywhere, and the spouse is abusive and toxic. And they are/were RESPONSIBLE for this. Yet, they keep chanting, genitalia hatting, & marching w/ movement talk.
However you feel about Kavanaugh, the "case" of sexual abuse brought against him could not possibly have less supporting evidence.
Kav isn't being criminally charged, he's trying to get a promotion. The level of evidence / proof is much higher/more formal for the former.
I don't like the fact that he was acting like frat boy, but I especially can't stand being lied to, particularly by someone who was groomed ("like a hot house flower") for the top court in the land. He's lied before, under oath, not just at this recent hearing.
@Miles Deli. previous post. "Fixing a Hole". The guitar solo is actually quite easy to learn. If you play. I had to listen again. Though I have a thousand times before. Classic is as classic does. Thank you.
@ JCT. I re-discovered this book in one of my book boxes yesterday. I thought I had lost it. Highly recommended. Wafer approved. It is a memoir. "I'll Tell Them I Remember You" by William Peter Blatty.
@GSWH. Have you read this booK? I am guessing that you have.
Freud’s coauthor “jettisoned speculation that Wilson masturbated excessively and had a castration complex, and he nixed a passage in which Freud directly links Christianity with homosexuality.”
Meanwhile, British peace activist Ambassador Craig Murray just wrote a scathing indictment of The Guardian for pushing blatantly false intelligence service propaganda: Extraordinary and Deliberate Lies from the Guardian. Just a reminder to NEVER take anything published or broadcast in the MSM at face value.
And our old friend, State Department whistleblower Peter Van Buren, has some interesting thoughts on the upcoming midterms: "Telling people economic progress is a result of the former administration is a punch line. It is hard to overstate how deeply these Americans despise the Obama response to their 2008 financial crisis...If Democrats insist on November being Trump vs. Trump, a referendum on the first half of his term to see if he gets to play out the second half, all without themselves bringing something new and real forward, they may not like the answer voters give."
Rosegarden, I didn't know about Google Classroom but it is creepy as hell. Have a look at what is in store for us (in this case China is leading the way):
Codes started showing up on graves (scan to learn more about the deceased) and the shirts of waiters (scan to tip). Beggars printed out QR codes and set them out on the street.
I just returned from 2 weeks in England, I lived in the UK in 1995-1996 and have been returning to see friends every 2-4 years ever since. They have officially caught up to "America" and are as doomed as we are. I doubt I'll ever return, or fly again. On the trip I am proud to say I finished The Twilight of American Culture, it made me feel semi-sane again. You see, I took a job at "The most prestigious public University in the United States" last year, and have been losing my mind ever since, being literally mentally and emotionally tortured. Everything you read about this University in the conservative news (there is a lot) doesn't come close to how bad things are there. This is said by a former "radical, left-wing, progressive" of many years. Doom!
On the subject of good and /or interesting books, I am nearly done with "The Making of a Radical" by Scott Nearing. Our silenced intellectuals have seen what's coming for more than a century. Our knowledge of and curiosity about our history makes me weep.
I should get through the next two books of your trilogy in the next month. I aspire to waferdom. Thank you for existing.
What a worthless evening I had. I went to see Moore's 11-9-beyond delusional. He truly feels there's an imminent revolution led by Ocasio, survivors of the Parkland shooting, and a few others proudly running as progressives (Ocasio recently endorsed Governor Cuomo of NY-so much for being a socialist). The most revealing part of the movie was that not only did Obama do nothing with regard to the drinking water in Flint, but actually used the city for target practice! Yes, there were so many abandoned buildings there that he allowed the military to actually bomb the place! Still, Moore does his 11th hour rabbit out the hat trick led by Ocasio and a few other highly deluded politicians. I'm looking how I can get my $10 back.
I shall also be returning to the UK, and Eire, to visit friends, in a few wks. Wonder what I'll find. I'm worried that a shark off of Cork coast will leap up and bite me in the ass. Anyway, always, always, capitalize Wafer.
A federalized EU alone would be more powerful than the US. Britian would have to accept junior status within it after the Brexit stunt is forgiven, or else simply become the Jamaica of the North Sea, a home for international tax evasion.
A federalized EU plus China or Russia as an international trade block is game, set, and match for the US and its 'friends'.
https://youtu.be/EtwmjcsQi1E
The day the dollar dies Americans are going to have to actually work instead of live off of charm, magic techno-think, and BS... Little indication it will be possible.
@ Tude - TOAC is only the beginning of your journey into the belly of the beast. Jump right into Dark Ages America and Why America Failed. Then read Great Seer of the Western Hemisphere's terrific essay collections, A Question Of Values and Are We There Yet? You'll probably feel a whole lot better.
Wafers need not fear "losing one's mind". That would be a good thing; perhaps the best defense against the insanity we feel besieged by. The decline is inevitable, overdue. Practical work and practical work habits, deliberate and slow are the key.
Playing a musical instrument is crucial. A simple drum is a great place to start.
As I learned my way through high school, reading the great masters of haiku poetry also helped me to understand the dual nature of "the floating world." George Carlin helped me learn to laugh at the absurdity of it all. I'm still learning and laughing.
Sorry I can't add much to the documentation of empire's decline. Being immersed in it, I am, as Morris notes, counting blessings. My talents are barely worth noting. But they are useful. Gracias a todos los Waferes for keeping me "in the game."
Problem is that its rivals are facing considerable problems of their own. With euroskepticism running strong, the chances of a fully federalized EU in the near future looks slim. Even if it went that way, it has some major demographical and ideological issues that it needs to smooth out before it could seriously challenge the US. You’d also have to ignore the fact that the EU depends vitally on the US for defense. EU members Poland and the Baltic States would balk at any reduction of its defense role.
Again, while I believe in “declinism”, a lot of people underestimate the goodwill that the US inspires. Often the countries that are most betrayed by the US are its most steadfast supporters. Take Japan, for instance. Its diplomatic history with the US—prewar and postwar—has mostly played out with Japan as the junior (and often the victim) of its bullying partner. Despite that, Japan has often acted in ways that are detrimental to itself for the sake of keeping the US happy. A couple notable examples are its failure to resolve the Northern Territories (Kuril Islands/Chirishima rettō) issue with the USSR. In 1956, both countries reached a compromise wherein the two southernmost islands would be returned to Japan, and the status of the remaining ones worked out at a later date. The US intervened, warning Japan that if it were to accept the USSR’s terms, it would renege on returning the Ryūkyū Islands (Okinawa Prefecture). Fast forward over 60 years and the Northern Territories issue remains a sore point between Japan and Russia. Then there was the Plaza Accord of 1985 which ended in Japan propping up the US economy at its own expense, which led to the crash of the Japanese economy six years later, as well as the resulting “lost 20 years”. It bears mentioning that Japan alternates with China as the #1 holder of US debt. (China also has very many reasons of its own to not cash in its debt, but that’s a story for another day.)
Despite grumbling to the contrary, a lot of countries do believe the BS about it being “the indispensable nation”. As a result, there likely won’t be a “Suez moment”. However, reality will hit it at some point. Though how this will occur will likely surprise us all. Who was it that said “history doesn’t repeat, but it sometimes rhymes”?
@alyosha--the level of "proof" in a civil matter (which is what Kavanaugh is undergoing) is "preponderance of the evidence," which, as they drilled into my head when I underwent the legal training, means "50% plus 1." A he-said, she said allegation with no corroborating information falls at exactly 50-50, and yes, denying someone a "promotion" based strictly on such an allegation is a very scary precedent that says a "victim" shall always be believed. As I learned in my decade spent as the supervisor of the State Department's complaint intake unit, only a tiny percentage of complaints ever have any validity. Most are from vindictive people trying to to get back at someone they believe wronged them. If such individuals are presumed to be telling the truth, America is over as a nation as no one will be safe from having their reputations destroyed.
Simple Justice put up another post which sums it all up quite well: "I don’t want Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, but then there’s no one Trump will nominate who I would want on the Court. But what I don’t want more is to watch a nation devolve into idiocracy, paralysis, fundamental dishonesty. The hyper-partisans of both sides regurgitate their special brand of platitudinous nonsense, which is both tedious and infantile. Each believes that if they just scream louder, just call more names, they will win.
"No one will win, and we will all assuredly lose when we have enabled the ruination of government in the name of the teams’ respective fantasies."
"Ex-UN chief Ban Ki-moon says US healthcare system is 'morally wrong'"
https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/25/ex-un-chief-ban-kioon-says-us-healthcare-system-is-morally-wrong ^^This is about as much of a revelation as the fact that the sky is blue. Only a sociopath could defend the U.S. healthcare system.
Just finished a book recommended by Paul Craig Roberts, "Losing Military Supremacy - The Myopia of American Strategic Planning", by Andrei Martyanov. Lots of technical military stuff in there, but Martyanov is an astute observer of the state of the US today - specifically how cut off from reality about the rest of the world most Americans are, and have been for decades. But he saves his most scathing commentary for the so-called 'foreign policy' and 'military/technical' experts that are driving US diplomatic, military, and foreign policy. Basically, he notes that the people who are the supposed 'experts' in all things Soviet/Russia are working from only the most superficial, limited knowledge, and demonstrates through many examples how "delusional" our foreign policy is today. He bemoans the arrogance, hubris, ignorance, delusions of grandeur, and triumphalism that drive US strategy. Wafers who have an interest in this topic will find that the rot in the system permeates the highest reaches.
This arrogance, ignorance and hubris is exactly why, as Diogenese noted, the EU, Russia and China have concluded an agreement to provide an alternative payment system from them to Iran for oil to circumvent US sanctions. Somehow all the 'experts' in DC failed to understand the consequences of their actions. Let the de-dollarization of the world begin.
Rhodes Technologies Inc. has been granted a patent for a new drug that could help treat opioid addiction. This sounds like good news at first — like someone’s actually doing something to fight the epidemic that’s destroying lives across the country at an alarming rate. It sounds like good news, until you realize that Rhodes Technologies Inc. is a subsidiary of Purdue Pharma, the same company that many hold responsible for starting the opioid epidemic in the first place because they flooded the market with OxyContin and allegedly suppressed reports of the drug’s addictive properties for years.
A family out for a drive in northern Utah to see the leaves changing color had their excursion abruptly terminated when their 14-year-old son fell victim to a stray bullet. A family uprange of the road on which the Kempkes were driving was taking target practice, firing at trees. One of shots went astray, striking and killing Zack Kempke instantaneously. The Kempkes, who are themselves gun owners, chose to emphasize the importance of gun safety in a post-incident interview: “You need to be 100 percent sure of where that bullet ends up when it leaves that barrel. If you don't know, don't shoot," [Zack’s father] said. http://kutv.com/news/local/family-issues-plea-for-gun-safety-after-14-year-old-boy-killed-by-target-shooter
And under the heading of “that’s some fucked up shit, yo,” this: Port St. Lucie, Florida teacher Diane Tirado, a 17-year veteran, was fired by the principal of West Gate K-8 School. Tirado, a social studies teacher who was in a probationary period at this school, had given students who failed to turn in work a grade of 0, which the school handbook prohibits: no zeros, minimum grade 50 (percent). Ms. Tirado asked how she could justifiably give any positive grade to someone who’d done no work. http://cbs12.com/news/local/teacher-says-she-was-fired-for-giving-zeroes-to-students-who-didnt-turn-in-their-work
O there will be an external Suez moment, you can bet on it. As for Japan, check out my bk on the subject. Historically speaking, Japan had no real choice abt keeping the US happy. Meanwhile, pls watch length. Thank you.
For something Waferish to watch check out Fargo season 3. Good portrayal of Americans disconnected from the rest of the world and basically full of shit, has a nice Peter and the Wolf motif.
"Agent Burgle. Gloria. Trust me. The future is certain. And when it comes, you will know without question, your place in the world. Until then, we've said all their is to say. Any further debate would be simply wasting our breath. And if there's one thing I can't abide, it's waste. Goodbye."
"The problem is not that there is evil in the world, the problem is that there is good. Because otherwise, who would care?" -V.M. Varga
Well, at this point, I think I should opine on a few current events:
1. Kava-nut was the last American virgin. 2. Trumpicus is the ultimate Nowhere Man. 3. The Supreme Court is a kangaroo court that serves the interest of the 1%. 4. Dems and Reps are a duopolist circle-jerking set-up. 5. Forget Avenatti, we want Stormy! 6. Rod Rosenstein is a dork. 7. The FBI needs to be renamed the FBE (Full-Brown-Eye). 8. May a fluffle of bunnies wildly poop inside Chuck Grassley's front yard. 9. Dear Ivanka, Stay strong, chickababe -- xoxo. 10. MB needs to give Sarah a go-round like she's never had.
The Western philosophical tradition - so Christian... https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/25/about-time-why-western-philosophy-can-only-teach-us-so-much
Regarding US debt holders dumping their holdings as a political tactic - I don't see this happening in the immediate future. Even now, when U.S. global leadership is shakier than its ever been, investors still pour into U.S. Treasures as a safe bet. The unfortunate truth is that the rest of the world needs the U.S. to be economically healthy, we've become "too big to fail". However one day, maybe sooner than I think, this will no longer be true, in which case I could see using debt holdings as a political tool against the U.S. Hell, look at what China is doing now all over Africa.
A more likely scenario to me in the near term is a Lehman Brothers style collapse. Where for some reason, either a suez moment, or an economic panic or something, investors simply don't have the funds or are unwilling to buy U.S. Debt. This would make the American way of life a lot less doable in a hurry. Look at 2008, none of these financiers wanted to trigger an economic apocalypse, they wanted to make money. But the virtual money they were passing back and forth suddenly turned into dogshit, and no one was buying.
@Hector--as the Canadian folksinger Bruce Cockburn once sand of America's foreign policy, it's "kill the best and buy the rest," which is a pretty good summation of how America keeps countries like Japan "in line" even as it continually pisses on their heads. From May to Trudeau to Merkel to Abe, the world is full of corrupt American poodles.
In the headlines: Man with foot fetish admits to preying on female realtors in Arizona. Anthony had told most of the realtors he was a reflexologist, and that’s why he was so interested in their feet. But that was a lie, according to the local TV news station – Anthony apologized and said he’s actually a bartender.
@meangenekaz - thank you for your reply. I agree with you on the "losing one's mind", I've done it many times. This time I cannot escape until February. Long story. I am on my way through the books you recommended, but have been working my way up for years. I am very busy in my garden growing food, busy in the house purging, and planning escape (at least from the hell of this area - SF) in 2019.
Yes, an instrument. I have never played one but have settled on the banjo and you have inspired me to finally get one and learn. It seems a fitting instrument for these times.
Apologies to the Wafers for the lack of respect. I know better now.
This item from the police blotter: a Birmingham, Alabama father who placed his 5-month-old son in the bathtub then left to play a video game has been charged with reckless manslaughter. When the father remembered his son an hour later, he summoned medics. They found the child in distress and unresponsive; the boy died after arrival at Children’s Hospital. No word on the game in question or the father’s score when the game was terminated.
It's weird, people smart enough to be accepted into Yale saying no means yes. I hope there is an FBI investigation into Kavanaugh. But, hey if he is confirmeded he can rub elbows with Clarence Thomas and Mr. Pussy grabber himself.
The supreme court jester "news" is simply more usa entertainment/distractions. Reminds me of the Ollie North "news" too; usa-ers fixated to interrogations, "tough" questioning--gives the illusion of a govt.
This typical us bullshit is right there with OJ Simpson and Clarence -Pubic Hair- Thomas "news."
Anything to keep the corporate owned populace pre-occupied and/or distracted from their rancid reality. No real health care, no free university, no employment security, no long term care, FATCA/CBT, etc...etc...
@ Tude Good to hear about the banjo. The 4-string tenor version is easier (for me) but 5- string is easy as well because it is tuned to a G major chord. I don't like it as much because of the twangy bluegrassy association, in my mind. Which is really not a fair characterization - only my bias.
Banjos are a lot like drums. They use a drum head for the the "top." Guitars have a top which is a wood soundboard like a piano. A simple "ashjko" style hand drum is great. Very portable as well.
@ Morris I finished AWTY? last night. Terrific. You are a superb essayist...chapters 18. 19, 20 leading up to Part III "AWTY?" was like this in my thoughts . . . Two out. Bases loaded. It's Belman at the bat. The count is 0 and 2. Here comes a wide curve and - CRACK! Belman connects . . , going, going,going - it's outta the park! Palin swoops down and hands the great Seer of Western Hemispheric Caseyism a big cup of shaved ice, with a sly wink. . . and they disappear into the dugout. Game over.
See ya Wafers next week.
P.S. The senate hearings confirm it- we are history.
Well, Paul Craig Roberts believes (and offers some evidence) that Trump is the historical player who may very well end US hegemony. Whether Trump is doing this deliberately or as a series of unplanned actions and reactions, who knows. Perhaps the actions of the republicans/democrats/Trump may not be good for the American people but they are continuing what has been happening for the last 40 years or so and very few are really protesting - no revolution for greater representation of the people.
Well, I'm not sure what all this gnashing of teeth over Kavanaugh is about. Framing it as a tragedy that this nation can't handle a confirmation process is ... insane. Like what, overnight normalcy returned for the sake of a confirmation hearing? This nation hasn't handled anything well in decades, and the courts as far as I'm concerned were clearly bought and sold back in 2000. And 2008, and 2010, and ...
More of the same here: https://darkageprep.com/2018/09/27/kavanaugh-kaos/ and the sole commenter doubles down. He wishes the Senate would do their jobs. When did everyone become so squeamish that even bloggers spin for page views? (Not this one, we should note).
My mother: If wishes were horses, we'd all ride.
Philip K. Dick: Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
A name for a Hedges revolution? "Hedging Your Bet"
Ted Rall discusses why the Democrats have decided to oppose Brett Kavanaugh based on sexual misconduct allegations and not based on his record supporting torture, surveillance and the imperial presidency.
From a declinist pt of view, it wd be gd if Kav was convicted of sexually assaulting 1000 women, and then got confirmed to the Supreme Court. As for Hedges: I think you got it right. Names can be so revealing: he hedges. His goal is to be out in front of everything, hence the occasional declinist piece he writes. Gee, what if there won't be a revolution? Maybe I shd say, once a yr, that we're finished. I'll hedge my bets. That way, I can always be rt, be on top of everything.
Michael-
Remember Adam Smith's invisible hand? Well, in this case it's called History. Trump has no idea as to what he's doing, but History does, and it is guiding him in the direction of putting an end to globalization, capitalism, and the US as well. If it takes a kleptocracy to do it (along with an idiocracy--see the movie), well what the heck.
mean-
Glad u liked AWTY. Even happier over the possibility of Sarah on ice. Altho I still have a thing for Tina Fey.
Mike-
Exactly: the American head is embedded in dogshit, and thinks this 'news' is cutting edge. But I'm not sure it's a conspiracy: the MSM probably believes this is what is impt as well. Virtually *all* Americans are stupid, after all.
Came across this interesting article which referenced Walt Whitman among other folks. We've been a hustling empty culture forever, since our founding, Trumpi is just the cherry on top: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/corporate-capitalists-killed-american-identity/
Quote "In 2004, the historian Walter McDougall concluded that as early as the Civil War, America was a “nation of hustlers.” During Reconstruction, Walt Whitman wrote that “genuine belief” seemed to have left America. “The underlying principles of the States,” Whitman said, “are not honestly believed in, nor is humanity itself believed in.”"
BrotherMaynard
P.S. re: the current Senate hearings, ask yourself if you think the nation can stand 3 or even 2 more years of this without degenerating into open civil conflict, then realize this is exactly what is going to happen...
I know Chris Hedges gets less respect than Rodney Dangerdfield around here, but I think Wafers might appreciate what he says about the collapse of the US empire in this recent interview on Canadian TV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPk9HSLagVg
He says the uprising by the starving US masses will be triggered by the next economic collapse, which we all know won't happen, especially as he cites examples from Europe and elsewhere as precedents.
I saw John Kerry on TV a week or so ago on either John Oliver or Bill Maher (I forget which, but those are the only possibilities), where he said that he "believes in America." That is such a strange expression, although it articulates the concept that the USA is a religion quite well. I don't know of residents of any other country who "believe" in their state, as if a political entity is an act of faith or a manifestation of God's will.
Here's an idea, take All $ out of the equation for who gets to attend these 'elite' sociopath factories, if USA! is so fuckin' great why not create a real meritocracy? And why do I get the feeling Mrs. (Blasé) Ford is 'taking one for the team?' Personally I'm OK with it if she is. But like we all know this is insignificant political theater, not like they don't have a very deep bench of fuck-ups, assholes, and sexual sadists to replace him with. MB, the day of reckoning is nigh.
As I watched the hearings (that is what they called this spectacle, I believe) yesterday, I was struck repeatedly by the lack of intellect present in the room. Not only the Senators - frankly, I find none of them very well-spoken in any case - but the two main characters. Dr. Ford used a few words of jargon from her profession, but otherwise appeared to struggle to understand some of the questions asked of her, none of which were cloaked in obscure vocabulary.
And Kavanaugh (!). The fellow is asking for a job on the Supreme Court and supposedly attended the "finest" schools, where he, by his claim, shone as a blinding light of intellectual prowess amongst his lessors. Yet he spoke as though he were in a school-yard, and it was not the fault of the topic at hand. There was no indication of deep thought at all. He sniffled, snorted, name-called, resorted to conspiracy theories about a Clinton cabal and displayed the same simplistic grammar and language skills that we hear from Trump.
But these two people went to the "best schools" and have advanced degrees; and one of them might well soon be writing opinions on the highest court. (Presumably with a good dictionary and thesaurus in hand.) Did Kavanaugh sound this dumb during the previous nomination hearings? If so, one *more* reason to reject him.
I don't know if it's the very mediocre educational system we have now, or the two of them "dumbed it down" for their audience, but it was just disheartening and disturbing.
Two things to keep in mind, which have been mentioned here b4: 1. Americans are not very bright. This is the hard rock of contemporary American life. They just don't have it upstairs. Progs can't admit this, because then WTF are they doing with their lives? 2. American universities, including the elite ones, are shadows of their former selves. They are little more than jokes now.
al-
What's wrong with Rodney? As for Hedges, can you imagine him saying something like this: "I've been pumping for revolution for a long time now, but have lately given it some serious thought, and now realize it just can't happen here because Americans are dummies. Most of them don't have 2 thoughts to rub together. In addition, they are shmucks. And frankly, I'm one as well. What in the world was I thinking?"
Well, I think professor Ford emerged from yesterday's spectacle unscathed and humble. She did so in a venue that was patently unfair and anti-democratic; one that suppressed supporting evidence and witnesses. Judge Kav, however, came out -- loud, obnoxious, indignant -- blaming his persecution on commies, Democrats, Trumpo-haters, and the Clintons. The guy is nothing more than a full-throated Trumpian knuckle hole. Then the water works began, of course, as he blubbered and schmaltzed his way thru the hearing. If a woman behaved the way Kav did, they would have dragged her out of the chamber in a straightjacket. I tell ya, the only people who could identify w/Kav are guys working on their fifth boilermaker, immersed in their own life resentments, and getting ready to head home to beer fart in their matrimonial beds.
It's the graphic, the table, that interests me in the link. Taking the amounts as somewhat close to reality, this is very bad (VERY BAD) management. As in, the people we've entrusted to do their job of managing this country (same for other countries) have done a really shitty job. Really ... shitty ... job, along with their counterparts elsewhere.
So the question leading up to this has been what to preserve (NMI, etc. ) I'm kinda switching to "what should we make sure DOESN'T survive into the future"? Seems like a much more important question, maybe. What belongs in history's trash bin, forevermore?
White Hot Harlots just put up two short but scathing rants re: Ellison and Kavanaugh:
Keith Ellison hasn’t even been accused of anything: "He is excused of growing distant toward an abusive woman and then, eventually after they broke up and she was still living with him, he yelled at her, told her to get out of his house. Are we still in a place where we’re talking about a willingness to listen to and believe a victimhood claim, or have things gotten significantly stupider than that? The answer is, in each situation, we’re going to end up believing the woman (not plural) who has the loudest voice, who’s been given access to the microphone. And that means, by definition, we are not going to believe the marginalized. We’re going to hear, and therefore believe, the ones whose narratives best serve those who are already empowered."
The rot is undeniable: "...we know now what they themselves have always known–that power is really the only thing that matters. We all used to surmise that power was morally self-validating, but now we can admit that no such validation is necessary. They won. We lost. Fuck off."
Hello Prof. Berman and Wafers! We all know that most Americans are arrogant and think that their country will never fall. All of us on this blog know that the US is going to fall and the primary reasons are the American ppl themselves and their sick and stupid culture. There seems to be a small number of Americans that do see that their country is collapsing but they seem to think that it is because of the UN, Globalists and/or some secret society like the illuminati. It seems like they believe that some plots like Agenda 21 are plans to force Americans to live in small apartments and from I hear it seems that there are those that think that one day the US will be invaded by UN army troops and they will be oppresing Americans. Here are a few videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZSJxp3KU2A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAXKqsE2f9s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91XuGnrBY4c
Why are Amrikans obsessed with the subject of "serial killers" ? There's like tons of movies/series made on this topic. Apart from "apocalypse" themes, serial killer seems to be the other consistent genre. People not familiar with this subject have a hard time understanding why the heck do they try to figure out the "mind/anatomy of a serial killer". Like, aren't these idiots just terrible assholes maybe with a difficult upbringing. Are Turkeys just trying to hustle even here by trying to depict this topic as intellectual psychology bs ? Or is this also a sign of the societal collapse? It's a rare occurrence in the rest of the World, but Amrika seems to have plenty of these assholes.
Thanks for asking. Limit posts to half a page, and post only once every 24 hrs. Dissent is fine, just make sure it's couched in courteous terms. No flaming or trashing other Wafers, but shitting all over trollfoons is not merely tolerated, but encouraged. Always capitalize Wafer. Bonus pts for referring to Hillary as Botox Face, to Obama as a piece of dreck, and to progs as impotent buffoons.
I think that covers it.
Welcome to The Greatest Blog on Earth (GBOE).
Oh, and address me either as Mr. Berman, or as Great Seer of the Western Hemisphere (GSWH).
Film recommendations always appreciated, I've been stuck in the hospital for a week with some sort of pneumonia, they don't know what is causing it so test, test, test for me. Nurses have been, mostly, great. Docs, not so much. When one has little else to do but turn on that waterfall of useless information on TV and the web, it is disheartening at how easy it is for the junk to get out and how hard it is to find real information.
@Puss Killian - What should survive? Nothing. At least I can't think of anything at the moment. The organizing principle the glue holding the USA together (extremely capitalism) will be obsolete by the end of this century so...???? Extreme tribalism along racial or ethnic lines???? Won't be fun. I have read the only thing that survives of the Roman Empire is the Roman Catholic Church and have also read the only thing that will survive the USA is the Mormon Church.
Bret Steohen's column today references ex-KGB analyst Igor Panarin who predicted back in 1998 the USA would break up by 2010. As Stephen's notes, he was probably only off by two decades; not bad. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/06/map-of-the-day-ex-kgb-analyst-predicts-balkanization-of-us/58945/
I don't think Panarin's map is how things will actually break. Much better is the work of Colin Woodward and Joel Garreau. I'm guessing things will break along their original founding. Garreau - Nine Nations of North America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Nations_of_North_America Woodward notes that regional differences from colonial times explain voting patterns in the 2016 election; https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/opinion/urban-rural-united-states-regions-midterms.html
FerQ, I've been hearing about the UN conspiracies for a while. To be sure, there are parts of the UN that are unsettling, but it's all the public stuff that's disturbing, not the conspiracies. I think the issue is people can't believe that all the destruction and evil was done by normal people like you and I, that it must be some evil conspiracy that gave us all the pollution, stupidity, isolation, and the tabloid media. The reality is, we did all this to ourselves, and there is no hidden conspiracy that's pulling the strings.
To give a UN example I heard recently, the UPU sets international shipping rates, and this has allowed for Chinese manufacturers to ship to the US for a much cheaper rate than US manufacturers can ship within the US (about 3x more to ship within the US vs China to US). This isn't a conspiracy, as you can look up the UPU meetings and they'll tell you that shipping rates are set in private. This is hardly the conspiracy that people claim, but I can see where the anger comes from.
@Aaron Thomas: Speaking of people causing destruction themselves, consider the Dust Bowl as a perfect model. I am just finishing Timothy Egan's fine book "The Worst Hard Time", so this example is fresh in my mind. Due to greed, arrogance, and ignorance, farmers plowed up the prairie grasses in order to get rich on growing wheat (i.e., hustling). Along came the Depression and a big drought, and you have an environmental disaster. Just normal everyday farmers doing their thing created this. And ever since, people follow the same pattern, with respect to the environment as well as social and economic matters. Global climate warming is just the latest and biggest manifestation of this dynamic. But mind rot from social media and smartphones, loss of local economies due to Amazon and Google, etc. are also examples of people's individual, self-centered, and short-sighted behavior creating the ungodly mess the world is in today. If I could just sit back and watch the show, then I would indulge in Schadenfreude, but unfortunately I will be entrained into the dystopia in the same way as the children and other innocent victims of the Dust Bowl were. Infuriating.
1). Were he married to ol' Botoxface, there's no doubt she would be referring to the allegations against him as just another "bimbo eruption."
2). There was far more evidence that Bill Clinton was a rapist, yet progs and feminists formed a wall that prevented him from being removed from office as he should have been.
3). A confirmation hearing is SUPPOSED to be about the nominee's record and positions--like say, the fact that he helped develop Bush's torture policies and believes NSA spying on American citizens is permitted under the Constitution. Yet the Dumbocrats and progs have let that stuff pass with barely a comment. If he gets shot down, Trump will just name another douchebag who supports torture and spying, and centrist "Resistance" (barf) heroes like Mark Warner will intone about what a great legal mind he/she is.
4). Fuck the progs--not only do I hope Kavanaugh is confirmed, I hope that upon hearing the news Ruth Bader Botoxface-lover chokes on her applesauce and Trump also gets to name her replacement on the court. O&D!
With respect to Sarah and Tina, I think you need more of an "abundance mentality." Instead of being forced to choose one or the other, you should insist on both at the same time! You could have Tina Fey dress up as Sarah Palin or vice versa. And though Tina would no doubt be horrified at the thought of kissing her enemy Palin (Just as Sarah would hate the idea of kissing a Hollywood liberal!), I'm sure Chris Hedges with his newly-acquired "BDSM Degree" would have no trouble breaking both of them to the will of the Great Seer!
Personally, I have a thing for Russell Crowe. Not the actual guy, who seems like a total prick. But his movie persona in films like "Cinderella Man" and "Master and Commander." Either one is pretty close to my version of "the ideal man."
Otherwise, there's no doubt at all to me that Kavanaugh threw up in that guy's car during college. What a douche. He totally dodged that question! So if he gets confirmed, there will actually be a guy walking around who can say: "The newest member of the Supreme Court destroyed my car by vomiting all over it." Heh, Only in America!
Don't know if anyone posted a link to this; I thought it was a well-written piece, as is usual with articles from Nomi Prins.
She finishes with this paragraph: "What we are witnessing is the start of the entropy wars, which will, in turn, hasten the unwinding of the American global experiment. Each arbitrary bit of presidential pique, each tweet and insult, is a predecessor to yet more possible economic upheavals and displacements, ever messier and harder to clean up. Trump’s America could easily morph into a worldwide catch-22. The more trust is destabilized, the greater the economic distress. The weaker the economy, the more disruptable it becomes by the Great Disrupter himself. And so the Trump spiral spins onward, circling down an economic drain of his own making."
I remember the Panarin prediction of US breakup. Can't come soon enough!
In our little village here in Italy, there is a hotel/restaurant owned by a rich American. He has been steadily buying up pieces of the village in an effort to make the entire village his. He advertises that he has "saved" the village from dereliction - of course, those of us who were here before him would beg to differ - and has worked hard to make our little place a 'destination'. He rents the place next to us (3 fancy bedrooms, living/dining/kitchen) for 15000 euros a week (!!), so you can imagine the sort of entitled really rich people who show up here. There seem to be a lot of "destination weddings", of which there was one yesterday. At 1AM we were awoken by one of these distinguished guests yelling off the balcony, wondering why no one was responding to her. Didn't seem to occur to her that everyone was asleep, and perhaps she could call reception if she had a problem? Finally another of the guests (from an adjoining property) came over and quieted her down. Americans of course - not the first time obnoxiousness has occurred. Sigh - We get tired of apologizing for Americans to the locals.
Just when those believing in tech nirvana were putting their faith on Elon Musk to play the savior of our beleaguered civilization, he is charged with fraud. Any reactions?
It's only in civilizations in a deep spiritual crisis that you need AI robots to bring up kids, and elaborate studies to figure out that being kind gives us a warm glow inside:
@BrotherMaynard, agree the end can't come to soon. Watching the endless and increasing consumption first in Florida, and now close to The Orange One led me to conclude the only way to save the planet is collapse. Ironic.
I do believe there is something worth saving (besides ice cream) but not sure what exactly. I'm going to continue to ponder this. One idea is the literature on sociopaths.
An update to Woodard's regions not behind a paywall: https://www.businessinsider.com/regional-differences-united-states-2018-1
Charles Hughes Smith on what to do: http://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2018/09/how-do-we-change-our-lives-in-system.html
The insanity continues in here in the States. The weirdest part of this of this whole thing is Lohan's reaction. She seemed genuinely shocked by what happened to her.
Sorry, I don't post Unknowns. You need real handle.
Shawn-
For a long time now, I've thought that Lindsay Lohan needed to be beaten to within an inch of her life, and then thrown on a dung heap. Is that your view as well?
Typical fall in Philly- 80 degrees plus this coming week. Dem hypocrisy vis a vis the Supreme Court is near breathtaking. They had the power to filibuster Alito, Roberts, Clarence Thomas, and Scalia but decided not to. In fact, Scalia was confirmed 98-0. It's all kabuki dance designed to attract campaign contributions. The Resistance is a joke. If you support capitalism, the difference between you and Trump is infinitesimal. I would love to know, for example, the amount of slave labor involved in the manufacturing of one automobile. Were it even known Americans of all political hue would scarcely care.
At the intersection of firearms, population overshoot, and Customs and Border Protection:
In a case just concluded in Arizona, a Border Patrol officer has been convicted of a misdemeanor (!) for an April 2017 incident that caused a fire that charred 47,000 acres, required 800 firefighters a week’s time to bring under control, and produced damages of just over $8 million. The officer wanted to reveal the sex of the baby his wife was carrying at a “gender-reveal” celebration by firing into a container—one holding a blue powder and the other a pink powder—so that the bullet would create a cloud of the appropriate color for (presumably) friends and wellwishers. His moronic behavior will cost him $220,000, but he will not lose his job. Such doings reveal why citizens laugh at their government.
The unfortunate thing will be when the usa empire collapses, becomes irrelevant, goes into a free fall (occurring as we speak), the populace will simply have no clue, nor want to seriously delve into any critical examination of Why the us failed. More: we must talk, action plans, or revolting bullshit. They simply do not want to know why the us was THE shit hole.
The us populace simply does NOT have the capacity, historical perspective, knowledge 'thirst,' nor the ability to look outside the us propaganda narrative. Reality would be likely met with: "Oh, ok, alright--who won the game? "Which celeb has the best tits/ass etc..." As stated on Dr. Berman's blog--any 'punishment' would be lost on the us populace.
Worth saving: Philip Glass, John Adams, Terry Riley, Steve Reich et al.-counterpoint/minimalist musicians.
@Ordinary--it's been evident for several years now that Musk is a douchebag extraordinaire, in addition to being a hustler and a conman. At least the psychopaths in charge of Amazon, Apple & Google make products that work. That so many have been taken in by him just shows how dumb even the smart people are in America. Musk should be tied to a stake so that all those soccer players rescued in Thailand and the relatives of anyone killed by an exploding Tesla can liberally pee on his shoes.
@David G--I read The Worst Hard Time several years ago, and can indeed attest that it is an excellent history of the Dust Bowl. I'm not sure it's really fair to label the subsistence level farmers who were fooled by a decade of relatively high rainfall in the Great Plains and had no way of knowing it was an anomaly as "hustlers." The hustlers are today's huge agribusiness giants who unsustainably grow tens of millions of acres of wheat, much of it for export, using water from the Oglala Aquifer despite knowing that once it runs out the Plains will become as arid as the desert Southwest. That's the real story of America as reflected in the Dust Bowl--to KNOW that you are destroying the natural environment, but not giving a shit as long as there is maximum profits to be made.
@Puss - much thanks for the link to BizInsider on the 11 nations; they did a nice summary. I'm going to show my arrogant Yankee roots and say that while the whole culture of the USA is for shit, the Deep South and Greater Appalachia really drag us into the Stone Age. It would have been better to let the South succeed. More bluntly, the only way I don't see civil way (and I mean actual physical violence, killing, and destruction - brother against brother) happening here is peaceful succession. It makes no sense to try and turn Mississippi into California or vise-versa.
I know Canada gets bashed here as 'USA-lite' but I was recently had a business trip to Toronto and have to say Canada is general seems much more peaceful and civilized than the US. True story: I forgot where I parked. A man on a bicycle said I looked lost and asked if I needed help. I said I can't find my car. He asked me for a description and said he could find it on his bicycle quickly (it was a huge parking garage and I was walking with a heavy suitcase). He found it. Came back and told me. Then gave me directions to find it. I can't see that happening in the US.
Also, I noticed the convince store workers didn't seem haggard and exhausted from working 3 jobs. They seemed genuinely friendly and in good spirits.
In the 'Ain't Capitalism Great!!' department- @Bill Hicks said "That's the real story of America as reflected in the Dust Bowl--to KNOW that you are destroying the natural environment, but not giving a shit as long as there is maximum profits to be made."
Same concept, different sphere- Why curing a disease is bad business:
“[Gilead] is a case in point, where the success of its hepatitis C franchise has gradually exhausted the available pool of treatable patients,” the report read. “In the case of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, curing existing patients also decreases the number of carriers able to transmit the virus to new patients, thus the incident pool also declines … Where an incident pool remains stable (eg, in cancer) the potential for a cure poses less risk to the sustainability of a franchise.”
Opinion | America just won the world’s hardest math contest. Again. https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/opinions/america-just-won-the-worlds-hardest-math-contest-again/2018/08/01/b634f308-9594-11e8-8ffb-5de6d5e49ada_story.html
Hmm, this is very counterintuitive in the light of this blog. Would love MB's view
"it is worth noting that many of the team members are second- or third-generation immigrants. Loh, in fact, is the son of immigrant parents from Singapore. The team’s deputy leader, Sasha Rudenko, is a first-generation immigrant from Ukraine."
Meanwhile: Wafers: Don't miss it: "Woman Walks Ahead."
"This is a great and gruesome story. Custer was shot just below the heart sometime during the afternoon of June 25, 1876, nobody knows exactly when, though it is suspected that it was early in the final massacre on Last Stand Hill. The second shot, (which pierced his left temple and killed him) was at close range, and was most likely from a pistol. There is speculation that Custer’s brother Tom (two time Medal of Honor recipient in the U.S. Civil War) fired the fatal shot to prevent Custer from falling into enemy hands. This hypothesis is further supported by a native (Yellow Nose) who reported seeing tears in the normally stoic Tom’s eyes just before he was killed. After his death, the native american women left his body relatively intact, but they punctured his eardrums so that he might hear better in the afterlife (Custer had ignored warnings from the Sioux and violated his own promises to them by entering the Black Hills.), and crammed an arrow up his penis (Custer had raped a sqaw and made her his semi willing sex slave…) His remains were found in this condition by the first relief columns to arrive at the battlefield. They buried his remains on the field and left. A year later, remains thought to be Custer’s were shipped back east and buried with full honors in the West Point cemetery, where the gravesite can be viewed today. There is speculation however, that the body at West Point was misidentified, and that Custer’s remains are still buried somewhere at Little Bighorn, along with his brother Tom."
"Possessions are a disease with them"--Sitting Bull
A college football player is hospitalized in critical condition and the school is worried that a GoFundMe for him would violate NCAA rules. Imagine worrying about nonsense like that at a time like this.
I really like how they note that the data/efficiency/web craze that has swept business since the 90s is actually a result of how *difficult* it has become to really turn a profit in the old fashioned sense. These technologies are inherently destructive of margins and so you end up with a kind of play capitalism, where nobody is really making a profit but you can try and stay afloat by gaming others out of the market. This is exactly the strategy of Amazon, Uber, Google, etc- simply buy out the multitude of companies that could erode their really rather flimsy margins.
In a declinist context, this degradation is a gd thing. We spiral farther downward every day. We need Bolti; we need Kavanaugh; and we certainly need Trumpola. We need a population so fucked in the head that it cares 0 that Kav supports torture and gov't surveillance, and cares everything abt his sexual behavior. And we *have* that population, we have those type of people in office. All of these are examples of the spiritual death I talked abt in the Twilight bk. I hardly thought members of the gov't, or the general public, wd read the bk and say, "Oh, we really hafta reverse these trends." Of course not. I just didn't expect they wd accelerate as rapidly as they have. This is karma w/a vengeance.
If disaster comes, you will find that all the myths you once cherished are of no use to you. You will see what it is like to live in a society where morality has collapsed, causing all your assumptions and prejudices to crumble before your eyes. And after it’s all over, you will watch as, slowly but surely, these harshest of lessons are forgotten as the witnesses pass on and new myths take their place.
Prof. Berman- What you posted on Custer´s ending is a great story. I enjoyed reading it.
Aaron Thomas- I think that those Americans that are blaming the UN/Globalists/NWO are looking to blame someone else for the downfall of their country. They never want to admit that they themselves are the causes and that their actions will bring them consequences.
To Prof. Berman and all Wafers- I just saw a video from Univision news that mentions how the Mexican population in the US is decreasing. According to this analysis that Univision presented, 465,000 Mexicans left the US in the period of 2007-2017. If you speak or understand Spanish, here is the link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8mQ3Tg4ukY
I am imagining that as life in the US gets worse and when it collapses, the amount of return migration will increase not only to Mexico but to all or most Latin American countries and maybe also to Asia and other regions.
Reverse migration stats have been in effect for something like 8 yrs now. I keep wanting to hear one Mexican declare, "I just cdn't live among douche bags anymore. I just cdn't do it." But what is douche bag in Spanish? Bolsa de ducha? Fritz Perls usta tell a story abt how Mexicans lvg in the US regarded Americans as corpses. Pretty fair summation, imo. Note that the Spanish word for zombie is zombi. Movie "Woman Walks Ahead" is a gd study of contrast between American robots and people who are alive.
@Walter--and if those immigrant kids want to become good American citizens, they'll end up taking high paying positions with the NSA developing awesome new spying software, or help the Pentagon design more reliable and murderous predator drones or maybe help the douchebags at Uber design better navigation devices for driverless vehicles so several million truck drivers can be put of a job like the factory workers. America provides no end of opportunities for super smart people willing to fuck over others in order to get rich.
Wafers--speaking of super smart people, I was at a party this past weekend that was also attended by a semi-retired climate scientist who has been an equestrian friend of my wife for about 20 years. He was apoplectic last year when Trump pulled out of the Paris Accords, and this weekend his wife advised us not to bring up the subject with him or he'd go off. But here's the kicker--they own a ten acre horse farm for just the two of them, drive a his/hers gigantic SUV and pickup truck (with horse trailers) and are always jetting off somewhere on exotic vacations. In short, they have about the largest carbon footprint of anyone I personally know. I've never seen a more conspicuous example of the prog "do as I say not as I do" mentality, and believe me I see a LOT of it here in the DC area.
Dahr Jamail documenting the knockout punch Mother Nature is readying for the increasingly farcical catastrophe commonly referred to as "global civilization":
Scientists produce the first experimental evidence that heavy early television viewing has detrimental effects on cognitive development. In mice, but makes sense re children exposed to strong environmental stimuli
The following list is somewhat related and might also interest some Wafers. Despite growing up near #2, it was strangely never mentioned at any of my schools. My father was a history buff who taught me about it.
« To dispel the myth that the large losses suffered on the Little Big Horn in 1876 were a one-time occurrence in U.S. history, a list of the highest-casualty frontier fights is provided. Also, this compilation clearly shows that the East was far more dangerous than Hollywood's fictionalized version of the West... 1 - Ohio, Wabash River 1791 (832) 2 - Pennsylvania, Monongahela River 1755 (606) 3 - Virginia, James River Settlements 1644 (500) 4 - Michigan, River Raisin 1813 (432) 5 - Minnesota, Southwest Settlements 1862 (400) 6 - New Mexico, Rio Grande Settlements 1680 (396) 7 - Pennsylvania, Wyoming Valley 1778 (376) 8 - Virginia, James River Settlements 1622 (347) 9 - Pennsylvania, Grant's Hill 1758 (270) 10 - Montana, Little Big Horn 1876 (268) [list includes 34 more encounters] A vast array of books and articles were consulted to compile this list... Ultimately, the most commonly cited death toll was used. » From “Deadliest Encounters of Indian Warfare,” VFW Magazine, February 2001.
A painting by Camille Pissarro, seized by the Vichy government in 1943 from its Jewish owner Simon Bauer, has been ordered returned to his descendants by a French court. Bauer grandson Jean-Jacques Bauer recognized the painting when it was on loan to a Paris museum in 2017. During a court hearing [in France] last May, [American collector] Bruce Toll, who is also Jewish, said: “French history is none of my business.” He suggested Bauer sue the French state instead of him.” Toll and his wife Robbi, wealthy collectors and patrons of the leading Holocaust museums, have now appealed the return order to France’s highest appeals court.
And, under the heading, “When one war just ain’t enough,” this: “The US ambassador to Nato has warned Russia that if it does not halt the development of a new cruise missile in violation of a treaty between the countries, the US will “take out” the missile.
“Kay Bailey Hutchison was speaking to reporters about a longstanding issue of contention, a Russian ground-launched cruise missile which Washington says breaks the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).”
US Nato envoy's threat to Russia: stop developing missile or we'll 'take it out' https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/02/us-ambassador-nato-russia-kay-bailey-hutchison?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Ain' gonna happen--not for Americans. D.H. Lawrence once referred to a 'hardness' that existed in the center of the American soul, that he said wd not melt. I'm also reminded of the favorite saying of Sokei-An, "holding the lotus to the rock." Sokei-An was the 1st Buddhist teacher to come to America from the East, which he did in 1945, to teach. After several yrs of it, he came up w/this saying as a metaphor for trying to turn Americans into Buddhists. If you hold a lotus against a rock for several yrs, and then let go of it, it just falls off, because the roots of the plant never penetrated the rock. The goal of Buddhism is love and compassion, and ultimately, the giving away of the self to the larger world (the ultimate Wafer path, imo). The goal of the American is to dominate, compete, and control; to 'weaponize' the self, so that it is strong and powerful, superior to other selves. What Americans studying Buddhism tend to achieve is a type of 'spiritual materialism'--Buddhism in the service of the weaponized self. (I've actually seen quite a lot of this myself, esp. in San Fran, where I lived for 5 yrs.) Sokei-An realized the task was hopeless; hence his saying abt the lotus and the rock. It just won't melt, that hardness in the American soul. This is why I have serious doubts abt Dual Process happening in the US: we aren't Japanese, and have no sense of group consciousness or community, and certainly none of love/compassion. How, then, cd we as a nation possibly build an alternative to capitalism, when hustling is in our DNA?
Bedoe-
This is a very long discussion, but it's why I believe that Americans are not merely ignorant, but actually stupid. The brain is a lot more plastic than we usta believe, and there is some research (e.g. Maryanne Wolf at Tufts) suggesting that staring into screens alters the physiology of the brain (e.g. synaptic lengths). Most American households had TV's by 1955, and so we've had much more time to get dumb than other nations. There is also some evidence that Lamarck may have been rt--that some acquired characteristics are inherited (Mt. Sinai study of depression among grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, e.g.). Then there is neo-Lamarckian mimicry, epigenesis, etc. etc.--as I said, a long discussion, and certainly beyond my area of expertise. But with the PC and smartfone, we've become dumb as shit in the last 30 yrs, and it gets worse all the time--an impt factor in our decline.
Re. Univisión video. My guess is that most of those returnees were recent arrivals. A phenomenon virtually unreported is the not inconsiderable dislike towards newly-arrived immigrants from established ones. Many chafe over the competition for increasingly scarce low-level jobs and housing. Facing limited options, not a few new immigrants would choose to return.
As for Hispanic immigrants appalled at American zombis, consider this. Hispanics in the US—Mexicans in particular—are often prone to a cultural inferiority complex in which things “traditional” are discarded in favor of things “American”. Something I’ve watched with dismay over my 30-something years, for example, is the deterioration and vanishing of Spanish from traditionally Hispanic communities. It is not uncommon to encounter a stigma of shame attached to the language. Parents often refuse to pass down the language; their children know little or nothing of it, despite pretenses to being “bilingual”. The average level of the written and spoken language in the US today is abysmal compared to what I recall from the 1980s and 1990s (and, admittedly, not much better in the home countries).
My guess is that many, perhaps most, will opt to stay in the US. Even when things get worse.
@Mike R.
Ditch all but Terry Riley; add Carl Ruggles, Charles Ives, Conlon Nancarrow (a Wafer avant la lettre), and Morton Feldman.
MB talked about Mericans having hearts of stone. Here’s a good example from Cascadia: a guy spent weeks researching how he could take “adverse possession” of property simply by occupying it, surveyed rural suburban areas outside Seattle for a potential target, then with the assistance of his wife, bludgeoned a 67-year old retired guy to death. A contractor hired to do yardwork inadvertently found the body the next day before the murdering couple could bury it.
Meanwhile, Evergreen College in Olympia, WA has been quiet – maybe too quiet. A professor who supported departed colleague Bret Weinstein and chose to remain at Evergreen reports that freshmen enrollment for fall 2018 was only about 300, a 50% drop, and overall enrollment has dropped to around 2,800 compared to the 2017 enrollment of 3,800 and the 4,200 enrollment level assumed by the college’s budget.
Be sure u.r. always in touch with yr operatic side. In what opera does Musetta sing "Quando men vo"? (fabulous aria)
Jack-
Gd news abt Evergreen. What a collection of p.c. snots. The place definitely needs to go outta business, and the fac and admin severely punished.
Blasé-
Glad 2c u have figured out how the blog works. This recent development in Sweden: wow. I have had some dealings with Big Figures on the American left, and I can tell you that in terms of honesty and integrity, they are no better than the American right. Everybody thinks the fundamental categories are left vs. rt, but the truly fundamental ones are ego vs. decency. The left does NOT have a monopoly on the latter, in my experience.
Hector-
Watch length. Aim for *under* half a page, for a while.
Jack-
There was a survey abt 15 yrs ago, revealed that 24% of Americans said it was OK to use violence in pursuit of yr goals. These murderers are not so outside the norm as we might like to think. Also, 15 yrs later, I'm sure the figure is much higher. My own feeling is that everyone shd bludgeon everyone else; let's just cut to the chase in terms of decline, eh wot? Perhaps we cd institute a National Bludgeon Day (NBD), say every Friday, in which you are free to bludgeon as many people as you like, and there wd be no penalties involved. Whee!
Most people around the world just talk to one another. Only Americans need instructions as to how to converse. Only America wd have Dale Carnegie courses. Jesus, what douche bags:
Dr. B- 13th Amendment- "Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
It pains me to defend Kan-Ye West, but it is the 'except...' clause that he is complaining about. And he isn't the only one. Did you know that Bill and Hillary had slaves when Bill was governor of Arkansas? Hillary herself made this clear with no compunction- https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/06/the-clintons-had-slaves
The US prison system is a disgrace, but there is money to be made so you know that nothing will change. Now of course Kan-Ye thinks that his business will set the slave prisoners free, and his other statements on politics are idiotic as anybody else. But on the 13th Amendment, he has a point.
Dr. B: In the NYT article on conversations, did you notice that the lady in the foreground of the photo is clutching a smartphone? This presumably so that she can interrupt her conversation with the second lady if any new message or alert happens to come through the phone. Great way to make your conversation partner feel valued, eh? I see this all the time -- seems to be the new normal. How about if the NYT told people to put their damn phones away and give the person and conversation your full attention as one of the "tips"? Or is this no longer necessary nor does anyone expect it anymore? If so, we are screwed ...
I don't know if you all have already covered this article but hoped to be able to share this article from last month. Basically the Trump Administration has publicly acknowledged the reality and severity of climate change, and this has caused ZERO, public reaction.
I am honestly just waiting for something to finally trigger a reaction from the the American people. I anticipate something like bewildered panic.I have also considered that people are going just keep shrugging off these floods, wildfires, rising sea levels, and powerful storms until something happens to them or a family member. If that's the case how many more years can that drag out?
The article implies that the elite fully understand what's happening, have no intention of changing anything and have written every normal person off. Again, it blows my mind that people can't see this and connect the dots.
If there's one thing Americans can't do, it's connect the dots. They also can't care about anything because they have been zombified. In addition, their brains have been monetized and weaponized.
David-
This is happening in Mexico as well. I do occasionally ask people to turn off their fones, so that we can talk w/o interruption. I state this pretty politely. Mexicans don't get hostile abt it, for the most part.
I have been rewatching the TV show The Sopranos, this time looking at it from a Wafer perspective. I always thought The Sopranos was an indictment of modern American society but I was never sure if the show’s creator David Chase intended that.
I recently watched an old interview with David Chase and Peter Bogdanovich and Chase made an interesting statement about the show. At about 14:50 they discuss the violent nature of American society and at 15:38 Chase states that the original idea for the show was that life in America had become so savage and selfish that even a gangster couldn’t take it anymore and had to go to therapy!
The whole interview is interesting especially for fans of the show but I thought that was an interesting statement from David Chase. Here is the link to the interview video:
"Trump has made America less respected than ever" https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/10/02/trump-has-made-america-less-respected-than-ever/?utm_term=.244ae06b1cbc ^^ I'm not sure why this was in the Opinions section, since it's an indisputable fact. Trump is doing a tremendous job and deserves another term (I think he'll win again anyways). He IS America unmasked. Trump is also a major cash cow for Jeff Bozo, owner of the Washington Post. He's a great distraction (along with Kavannaugh) from Bozo's obscene wealth and power over our news media. Does anyone else notice the delicious irony here?
@Bill, "Do as I say, not as I do" perfectly sums up some of my progressive relatives and friends. They go on and on about the environment, yet drive gas guzzlers and live out in low density suburbs. They'll also talk about income inequality, but don't ever suggest to put public housing and convenient mass transit in their neighborhoods. Progressive hypocrisy is almost as mind blowing as the pro-life/compASSionate Christian conservative crowd. Americans/Turkeys are masters at virtue signaling.
Hello, Shawn, Dr. MB, and Wafers, When it comes to climate change, it seems pretty bleak. The climate change now is at a higher rate than PETM, and that's when the tropical plants were growing in the North Pole. The major contributors of climate change are: 1. Animal Agriculture. 2. Transportation/fossil fuel. 3. Methane from landfills. It is necessary to reduce economic activities in order to have any hope of changing the course - be vegan or eat less meat, don't make/buy cars, travel by public transportation and travel less, produce less, and don't buy so much crap... Politically, it is almost impossible to imagine any government to shun the economy and expect to be in power. Chomsky has said that Bolivia and indigenous people in Canada are the exceptions, but his conclusion was quite pessimistic as well. Dr. MB, you have said that we live in an Americanized world, but it's quite depressing to think that this Americanized World will likely eventually take everyone, Americans or not, humans or non humans, with it. I agree that Americans are awfully bad at connecting the dots, but I certainly hope the rest of the world will connect the dots... When I started typing, I thought I had a question, but I guess not. Any thoughts from Wafers would be appreciated. Enbion
I usta enjoy the show, when it was running, but I found it interesting that the portrayal of the gang was ultimately sympathetic, murder etc. notwithstanding. Sort of like, "And here's an interesting lifestyle for all of us to contemplate." There really wasn't very much by way of suggesting that this barbaric lifestyle might be immoral. There's also something 'seamless' abt the way that lifestyle fit into America at large; i.e., This is hustling, but in neon. Which is what we have w/Trumpi, of course.
Gareth Porter has written a report for Truthdig which leans heavily on Bob Woodward's new book "Fear: Trump in the White House" describes in detail meetings in which "He [Trump] has complained bitterly, both in public and in private meetings with aides, about the suite of permanent wars that the Pentagon has been fighting for many years across the Greater Middle East and Africa, as well as about deployments and commitments to South Korea and NATO." In this, I couldn't agree more with Trump - he hasn't apparently mentioned the 800-1000 off-shore US military bases located around the world - maybe he will get to it if the joint chiefs or the CIA don't kill him first.
How the British managed to rule India. Bloody fucking Imperialists. Same shit being done by Amrikans, looks like history repeats itself through the tyranny of assholes. If there is Karma, the imperialists and those who supported them deserve to rot in hell.
MB - Sorry to post in 24 hr to clairfy that the Steven Pinker article is actually a comic satire on Pinker ..haha he definitely is a certified schmuck ..
"The National Defense Authorization Act is the most significant investment in our military and our war fighters in modern history," Trump said Monday. "We are going to strengthen our military like never ever before and that's what we did."
@Michael/George--Trump WILL eventually dismantle the America empire, but it won't be his intention. That $717 billion "defense" bill (nearly $100 billion higher that Obama's last budget request for the Pentagon) is a helping drive America towards eventual insolvency. It's also the reason Trump will NEVER be removed from office via impeachment or 25th Amendment. He's greenlighting the largest military budget increase since the Reagan years (with the quiet complicity of the Democrats), and all the idiot progs can do is spend their time going apeshit over every detail concerning the nearly four decade-old, hormone-fueled escapades of a bunch of snotty, overprivileged prep school kids.
@Brother--it's too long a story to post here, but my wife and I had a similar experience on our last visit to Canada when a total stranger went way out of his way to help us out after my wife had to go to the emergency room. Perhaps the fact that Canadians at least don't have to worry about becoming homeless and dying in the streets if they suffer a major illness or injury in a big factor in them not being so obviously stressed out.
'Truth hurts': Sask. Trump supporters say deep down you like him too
In a new poll conducted by CBC Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan Social Science Research Lab, more than 19 per cent of respondents in this province said they agreed with the U.S. president's values.
In the online version of the Baffler, the following article by Aaron Timms on the “ideology of the blip,” the notion that no matter what the momentary problem or systemic failure, the trend for humankind and the globalist economic system is ever upward.
“For the blip thinker, it’s essential to paint the present “moment” not only as an offense to reason, but as historically exceptional—and therefore as an aberration.”
“Reactionary populism, a fraying social contract, the algorithmic toxicity of online debate: in the ideology of the blip these become not the invitation to reconsider the wisdom of our prevailing political economy, but proof that the powerful need to work harder to get “the people” on board with the liberal-capitalist project.”
Morris, Quando m’en vo, also known as Musetta’s Waltz, is from Puccini’s La Bohème. Here is Renee Fleming singing the aria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYhBqYZGVvc
Arias from various operas offer some of the most fabulous music in the world. I actually grew up listening to opera and classical music, and it still makes my heart sing.
@George Carlin - Steve Pinker - example of how incipid vapid comtrived easily refuted statistical rubbish passes for intellectual brilliance in the US. Not quite David Brooks - god how can a guy like that exist! There appears to be no one like Gore Vidal in the media anymore. Another sign of steep decline.
This parallels what happened in the late Roman Empire. Where once there were Cicero and Virgil, now there were hacks. We have their writings; even their Latin grammar was incorrect. Pinker, Brooks, are turkeys. And who adulates turkeys? Other turkeys!
Sar-
What % of Americans have heard of La Boheme, or cd say who Puccini was? 0.01%? That many?
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-strange-and-twisted-life-of-frankenstein "We humans must love our technologies as we do our children...for in rough and careless hands they will become monstrous."
A second really good piece on Frankenstein and modern mythos this year (after this from Jill Lepore
Only a demented Puritan culture like that of the US cd come up w/the concept of "slut-shaming." Jesus, what next? Wafers, pls weigh in on this exciting new development.
I'm tired of this piddly shit: Trumpo said this; Kava-nut did that! Enuf, already. I don't want Kellyanne Conway, I want Brittany Carulli. I don't want Betsy DeVos, gimme Rachel Butterball. I don't want Kirstjen Nielsen, I want Tracey McCloud. Fuck Ben Carson, lets call Lorenzo Riggins. Pompeo? Wadsworth will do! Is this too much to ask? If only MB woulda been selected to take the helm of the Ministry of Collapse, it would all be over by now.
Sure, but what abt Reince Priebus? Poor shmuck, discarded like used toilet paper. Reince, the world failed to understand you! Can you ever forgive us?
The truth is that--when you really think abt it (=beyond the scope of 99% of the population)--Brittany and Tracey and Lorenzo and Shaneka and Freddy are *really* what is going on this country, and I'm not kidding! Kavanaugh and Kellyanne et al. are meaningless distractions--which is where the attention of an addled populace will inevitably be. Until we penetrate the deep meaning of Laquisha Jones, the admin at Evergreen State College, slut-shaming, and the sheer grotesqueness of Hillary, we will not be able to Make America Great Again.
I was going to comment on the 13th Amendment still countenancing slavery, but Dan D beat me to it. It's no wonder we have 25% of the world's prisoners with only 5% of its population.
I'm with Sar on opera. I'm going to see "Don Giovanni" 3 times this season- at the MET and at two colleges. I never tire of seeing "The Don" dragged down to Hell, because it never happens in the real world- bad guys getting what's coming to them!
Prof. Berman- In Spanish douchebag would be pendejo. In Mexican Spanish another word for douchebag would be culero.
Hector- Do you think that many Latinos would stay in the US even if the environment for them becomes something like Nazi Germany in the 1930s. When the US collapses, many Americans will start looking for scapegoats. You mentioned something that is both interesting and sad and that is how many Latinos are prone to develop an inferiority complex in the US. I used to always wonder why that was the situation. In my next post I will give what my observations and what I thought were the reasons for those sad circumstances.
Actually, pendejo means asshole, or shmuck. Strictly speaking, it doesn't translate as douche bag. As for culero, I have no idea, altho culo, of course, is ass.
As far as slut-shaming goes, I think it might be neat if Wafers organized some pro-slut demonstrations. Signs might include
SLUTTY AND PROUD
SLUTS NEED LOVE TOO
REAL MEN LOVE SLUTS
SLUTS OVER AMERICA
etc. Wafers are encouraged to come up with more slogans, plus a series of activities for a planned Slut Day March. T-shirts as well.
Series of recent shootings of policemen...unclear who is doing the shooting and why. Is this the 21stC version of Mark Ames' bk, "Going Postal"? Is all of this somehow political?
On one side are the dumb progs and on another the Dotard Trumpi and his MAGA gang. What a shitshow .... Slutwalk/MeToo and Donald Trump
As Trump suggested that Ford's inability to remember mundane details from 36 years ago meant that her accusation was false (he failed to mention that corresponding evidence has backed up her timeline), the crowd responded eagerly with a "Lock her up!" chant.
Slutwalk itself hasn't gone away, although -- as inevitably happens in our capitalist system -- what was once hip and organic has been co-opted by corporate culture. Now there's an annual Slutwalk in Los Angeles, headed up by celebrity personality Amber Rose, that involves costumes, musical acts and VIP tickets.
Jesus, and here I thought I had invented the idea! Already, we need an Alternative Slutwalk. I tell ya, this country can turn anything into a hustle. Can't we just have a nice little noncommercial slutwalk? Where ordinary, noncelebrity sluts can gather and celebrate their sluttiness? Maybe something called "Sluts on Toast," where sluts just lie around on large pieces of toast strategically placed around the town. (Anything is better on toast, really.)
I hafta admit that on this issue, I am very pro-slut. If I were to go out on a date, and the woman would start things off (once we had ordered our martinis) by saying: "Look, I have a confession to make; I am an utter and total slut," my response would be: "Personally, I am very pro-slut, have always had a huge admiration for sluts, and look forward to exploring the topic with you in great detail." And (ideally) she says, "At last! A man who understands me!"
I keep wondering if Sarah is a slut, and if this dinner scene might ever play out on a large block of ice.
I thought this was a joke!! Can’t wait for the autobio episode where the DOJ watches bankers fleece the entire world and then the dramatic crescendo is the AG deciding to prosecute nobody
I sometimes listen to climatologist Paul Beckwith and in his latest youtube video he described changing weather patterns in North America and causing "tornado alley" to move northward. If you're not familiar with it, tornado alley is the region of the US that we have traditionally associated with Tornadoes, like Kansas, Oklahoma, or North Texas. I'd encourage anyone here to look up this new trend because there has been record setting tornadic activity in the Northeast, Midwest, and southern Canada this year, with Ottawa being hit just 12 days ago. While surfing the web I came across this very Waferish news story about Detroit. Yes, there actually were 2 tornadoes that hit the area that night but folks were more upset that they were missing their TV show!
Volunteer for WDS and participate in these great activities (T-shirt possibilities!) -
- Slut Hut: A booth for signing up for WDS-sanctioned dates, sluts and their supporters both welcome! Fulfill the WDS slogan "Bringing Merica Together Is Great Again"
- Slut Rut: A dance event where Wafers "walk the talk" dancewise and everyone leaves empowered.
- Fake Bake Overfeed: Where unedited conversation meets pie! Get ready for raw transparency as Wafers perform ritual smears with half-baked berry pies (a Cascadian favorite!)
Yes, we're feeling a bit feisty in Cascadia this morn.
On 4 May 1970, four students protesting the bombing of Cambodia on the campus of Kent State University were shot and killed by Ohio National Guardsmen.
That was then. This is now:
Plans by the Kent State School of Theater and Dance to mount a production of West Side Story have been abandoned because of student protests. Latinx** students objected to the selection of non-Latinx and non-white students, including a black student, for the three leading Latinx roles.
Lots of articles in French newspapers "celebrating" one year of #MeToo. What did we achieve really in a year? Whereas it's great that douchebag pervs like Weinstein were finally exposed for who they really were, I think that #MeToo actually did more harm than good. Now all men live with a constant axe above their head. Any inappropriate joke, any sexual innuendo in a conversation, can make them lose their job or lynched on social media. It's not as bad as in the US in France just yet, but it's getting there. But hey, in terms of collapse and bad-is-good, this is actually good news. As men and women become more isolated from each other and stop dating altogether, this will only increase the Spiritual Death of the West. At least we still have wine, cheese and music.
@John S. No Gore Vidal, steep decline indeed. His book "Washington D.C." examined the internal family dysfunction Wafers have noted for a while and which troubles me today. The truth from "out there amerika" which Wafers document daily can be depressing. Strange days have found us.
@ GSWH re: cop shootings. Probably political. Many, not just Wafers, have realized that the rotten heart holds nothing sacred any more, least of all another's life. Complete collapse is not far off in the land of the free, etc. Probably world wide.
On the sunny side - I laughed a lot last weekend reading the "sorta-auto-biography" titled "The Man Without Qualities" by Mauricio Belman. Truly enjoyable. Muchas gracias, amigo.
@ Shawn. Since reading "The Limits to Growth" back in 1991 and spending time with an Alaskan fishing guide friend, it has seemed obvious that the "hoax" of climate change is the end of things as homo sapiens have known them.
I'm guessing Kavanawful will be confirmed and take his place on the Supreme Court. Wonderful development, from a declinist pt of view. All American institutions need to be discredited, and one way to do this is to see to it that their personnel consist of turkeys and douche bags. Kav certainly fills the bill. Go Bolti, Go Kavo, Go Trumpi, etc.
His success will also serve to deal another crushing blow to the progs, altho what cd wake them up is beyond my imagination. What clowns, thinking that the US has a future. Anyway, I assume they will just gear up for the next useless fight.
Prof. Berman- There is no literal or exact translation for douchebag in Spanish. There are some words in Spanish that have many meanings and that can serve as equivalents. Pendejo means asshole but in the Latino cultures it is a word that is used for a person that is stupid, obnoxiuos, or unpleasant. Culero has nothing to do with ass but it is a stronger word than pendejo and culero is used for a person who acts to harm others. Another word commonly used is cabron. In Mexico, cabron can be an insult or a compliment. If used as a compliment, cabron means someone who is skillfull and is good at what he/she does. If used as an insult, it would be a person who is devious, treacherous or does awful or harmful things to other ppl. In Puerto Rico, cabron usually means someone who is a cuck or cuckold but it is also used for someone who is devious or a son of a bitch.
Hector- due to the size limit, I will post my observations about our Latino ppl and communities in my next posts. They will come in 2 or 3 parts.
MB -- Haha, "Sluts on Toast".. that would be yummy :) .. talking of the GSWH and Sarah Palin, how about a movie on your ice escapades? Shall we name it "The Seer and The Slut" ? And who would you like as the lead actors? Talking of Palin reminds me of what Tucker Carlson (the idiot over at Fox News) had said about her: "supreme commander of MILFistan"..its not right, but it makes me chuckle..
America, it seems, because it had a devils’ birth, born in blood, bathed in tears, a child raised in the darkness of slaughter and supremacy, knows no way to atone. Perhaps there is no way to atone for America’s sins. Maybe they are there to haunt us until we are undone by them. Perhaps America’s curse is that of a promised land — to also, therefore, be a backwards place, in which people fight forever, tribe against tribe, man against man, woman against woman, for whom really deserves the sweet and succulent fruit of the garden.
Lyrics to *Slutty Hut*, sung to the tune “Sugar Shack”:
Slut, slut, slut, slut Slutty Hut Ah, there’s a snazzy little hut down the street And everybody calls it the, Slutty Hut Well, it’s just a declinist’s prog-free place to meet Slut and Wafer that’s really neat That’s a big reason why I’ve got to get back A – To that Slutty Hut Whoa, Wafer, to that Slutty Hut There’s this cute brainy slut, who’s a thinkin’ there She’s been hopin’ to meet a Wafer fair I’m gonna talk a lotta Berman, maybe Spengler too Share declinist love, both watch the show, lasting woo You can see now why there’s never a shortcut A – To that Slutty Hut, whoa Wafer To that Slutty Hut Yeah, Wafer, to that Slutty Hut
They keep saying the Kav hearings are a sham. Of course but America is a vast sham. It's what you get from a nation of hustlers and swindlers, the chief difference being whether self-promotion for money is done 'legally' or not. And most of the dem protests to Kav are virtue signalling from careerists, little more. The 'wisdom of the American people' Lol!
ps: I think we need to develop a program called slut-shaming shaming (SSS). I.e., anytime a slut get shamed, we step in and shame the shamers. However, we need hard evidence that the slut in question really is a slut. If there's one thing that pisses me off, it's a pseudo-slut. (Altho I wd still be opposed to pseudo-slut shaming.)
wherein three thoughtful critics of the academic frivo-left got the most outlandish identity centered papers (7) accepted for publication in various journals. Key quote:
"This is the primary point of the project: What we just described is not knowledge production; it’s sophistry. That is, it’s a forgery of knowledge that should not be mistaken for the real thing. The biggest difference between us and the scholarship we are studying by emulation is that we know we made things up."
Mike: I certainly hope that you don't have a daughter who goes to a college prep high school. Perhaps if a boy throws her down on a bed and holds his hand over her mouth, you will just feel that it is youthful highjinks. Ha , ha! No matter. Boys will be boys, right? Servo: You got it right. The youthful "highjinks" were the just the opening rounds of this person's true colors coming out. If you have no empathy for fifteen year old girls, how can you possibly empathize with a person who is being tortured? That this monster was appointed to the highest legislative body in the land will not be forgotten. Rather, respect for this institution will (and is) decreasing at an exponential rate. I speak as a woman who endured such treatment in times when it was considered "inappropriate" to mention it.
Dr. B-
ReplyDeleteThere's even an Amish PAC. Really.
https://lancasteronline.com/news/politics/amish-pac-returns-for-election-as-new-study-reveals-its/article_66819bc4-bddd-11e8-948f-077373a4c8f4.html
I recently returned from a 3+ week vacation in Germany, most of that time spent in Berlin. The history there, especially 20th century, was mind-blowing, poignant, troubling, sobering, profound. I saw how nations can decline, get into wars, etc. all throughout history. I guess now it is just the US's turn to decline in this seemingly inevitable historical dynamic.
ReplyDeleteI could go on about this, but I will restrict this comment to one Wafer-related thing regarding creeping American influence. We stayed in the Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg. This used to be a slum, now a locus of Turkish immigrants and while nice, still a bit gritty. Well, I learned from signs plastered everywhere ("Google ist kein guter Nachbar"), various graffiti, and a booklet that Google is planning to install a "campus" in a disused factory building in Kreuzberg, with the encouragement and blessing of the city government. This is intended to make Berlin a center of "innovation" and "start-ups" in Europe. The local residents are trying to resist because they fear this will lead to gentrificaiton, increases in rent prices etc. which will drive out the local lower income people and therefore profoundly change the neighborhood. I also learned that Google has it hands in all kinds of businesses, not just the search engine, maps, docs, etc. This all made me quite angry -- damn Google and damn the US for this kind of creeping and constant pressure. More to be said about this phenomenon, but enough for now.
A Website I just came across...
ReplyDelete“Dark Age Preparation Society”
https://darkageprep.com/
WOW...pretty dramatic! This judge should be scared.
http://www.thenyherald.com/2018/09/11/pedophiles-decapitated-corpse-found-on-judges-doorstep-after-bail-hearing/
Good article critiquing identity politics and intersectionality in particular. This is just another example of why so many Wafers criticize progs.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.counterpunch.org/2018/09/14/set-theory-of-the-left/
I would also recommend “The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality” by Walter Benn Michaels. I just finished reading it and it is a good left-wing critique of identity politics. Here is an interview with Michaels that will give Wafers a taste of what the book is about.
https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/walter-benn-michaels-the-trouble-with-diversity-election/Content?oid=24418522
MB, I've noticed that media + websites have made it so everyone is using buzzwords and trendy terms to describe everything, whether it's calling everyone a narcissist, claiming everyone is gaslighting everyone else, talking about self-care, or whatever else is popular. None of this is really connected, except I feel like the media has just wiped our brains of normal thinking and has instead filled us with garbage and all these buzzwords. The way terms are defined, one person may be called a narcissist, while someone else may define it as self-care. It's just insane to me. Also gaslighting now seems to mean, "you are giving me a hard time", and can be used in just about any context.
ReplyDeleteI wish people would put down the websites, buzzwords, and other trash and step back into reality. It seems bizarre if your entire life is just jumping from one zeitgeist to another and latching on to whatever buzzword or celebrity is popular at that moment.
I think what really bugs me is that people can only talk if regards to the latest buzzwords, that they have no way to converse or think outside of the current trends. This is probably the result of just starting at phones 24/7 and not getting info from anywhere else.
I haven't seen this thread posted to the blog before so here goes. A Wafer poll: does anyone have the suspicion that DJT molested Ivanka? I know there are jokes about it but there is a scene in the new Netflix documentary where Orange Julius has Ivanka and Don Jr. compete for a job opening. As it happens each tries to outdo the other by laying down absurdly lavish praise for the empire their father has built. Ivanka appears to win and Don Jr. looks anxious and frustrated, like someone who doesn't enjoy being a 'loser.' It creeped me out, I got a bad vibe watching it. Lordy what would happen if Ivanka came out #METOO against the president? What if Melania supported her? Is this just sick thinking or a declinist fantasy worth exploring?
ReplyDeleteWell, it's Saturday night, and here I am posting. I am in need of the WDS!
ReplyDeleteIn the meantime, Fred has all the answers we seek. Just need to update him on the Sarah situation, and remind him that the GSWH needs to be installed asap as "vice" president, with plenty of aides available to fill water balloons full of urine. Lots and lots of beer will be made available.
https://fredoneverything.org/fred-to-take-wheel-of-ship-of-state-will-implement-thoughtful-and-reasonable-measures/
"Twelve: As an educational reform, I will have the Department of Education filled with linoleum cement, the occupants being left inside. This will raise the national IQ by at least three points. I will pass an amendment to the fragments of the Constitution saying, “No federal entity or person shall say, think, suggest, or do anything whatever regarding schooling on pain of garroting.” Part of the savings from lowering the military budget will go to purchasing garrotes. The duration, content, and nature of the schools shall be left to localities without exception."
Vote for Fred-Berman-Palin in 2020!
cheers and beers!
Puss
Hello Wafers:
ReplyDeleteJust in case you are considering emigrating to Canada, I thought this would be necessary information before you make a decision:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/saskatchewan-early-snow-1.4834868
'Here today and gone tomorrow': Saskatchewan hit with early snow
There was ice in my rain barrel this morning, and while I was out in the garden, digging my crop of potatoes (OK,just 200 pounds), the snow was coming down sideways.
MB -- Is WDS available to Wafers with family commitments :). I am also thinking of a startup, the inspiration for which is Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop which touted benefits of putting a jade egg in your vagina. On similar lines, what about starting "Poop" which puts eggs filled with Lorenzo Riggins and Shaneka Torres Poop into Turkey brains to turkeyfy the nation faster.
ReplyDeleteTurkey collection from Texas :
Father and Son charged with killing man over fight about trash
Day care owner kept kids tied to car seats, drugged them to make them stop crying
The WDS can be a parallel organization to the LDS church... It can involve canvassing door to door to recruit local Wafers for our database while accompanied by sexy look-a-likes of Sarah Palin and Warren Buffett.
ReplyDeleteTom Shakespeare on the great life of Italian leftist Antonio Gramsci
You know that a society doesn't have long when it considers politics and business 'serious' activity, while culture is 'frivolous'. It's actually business and politics that are completely dependent on culture. To campaign for, police, or market anything is just a last ditch mechanical attempt at changing hearts that were made up long ago.
It breaks my heart to see people ready to talk garbage about politics 24/7 when they would never consider discussing literature for five minutes.
Anon-
ReplyDeleteI don't post Anons.
Aaron-
In future, pls provide some evidence. We try to avoid posts that just "hold forth," so to speak. Thanks.
-mb (I'm hoping this cafe computer doesn't list me as Unknown again)
@jjarden--this quote from the decapitation story sounds like it came from The Onion: A local resident said of the horrific discovery that finding a headless body was an “unusual” occurrence: “This is a nice area. This is the kind of thing that usually happens in mob films, but not around here.”
ReplyDeleteThe legal blog simple justice has a post about how even elite law school students at Harvard and Yale no longer have any concept that to convict someone, or even to use an allegation of bad behavior to deny them a position they are otherwise qualified for, takes EVIDENCE. However you feel about Kavanaugh, the "case" of sexual abuse brought against him could not possibly have less supporting evidence. The blogger points out that despite the fact that Kavanaugh has been a professor at Harvard for more than a decade without any complaints ever being made against him, and that in July dozens of Kavanaugh’s former students signed a letter that described him as “a rigorous thinker, a devoted teacher, and a gracious person” who “was exceptionally generous with his time,” because Trump appointed him to the court many of said same student are now convinced that he's "guilty."
Personally, I couldn't care less whether it's Kavanaugh or some other old shitbag put on the court, but living in a country where a mere utterly unsupported allegation is enough to destroy your reputation or possibly cost you your freedom is a very real step towards fascism--and one for which we have the liberals to thank.
Crazy fun here in Oregon. I suggest we appoint Ms Woods as head of Emergency Services since she is quite adept at handling a stolen ambulance. And please check out that face. That's the face of a born leader. https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2018/09/oregon_woman_steals_ambulance.html
ReplyDeleteI watched Michael Moore's new film "Fahrenheit 11/9" last night and encourage others to watch it. If you view it from the perspective that Moore is archiving the decline of the U.S., then you'll appreciate the film. He does place way too much hope on grassroots movements and current progressive candidates in the upcoming midterm elections to turn things around. But again, if you view it from the perspective that he's "archiving the collapse," then it's a decent film.
ReplyDeleteSPOILER ALERT
He doesn't just focus on Trump or the Republicans, but also the profit hungry news media, the crony establishment Dems (Hillary, Obama, Bill Clinton, Hoyer, Pelosi, etc), and the complacency of the American people. The most heartbreaking for me was when he highlighted the Flint Water Crisis. MI's Governor knowingly poisoned that town and when Obama flew in to the rescue, he sided with the Governor and pretended to drink Flint's water. It was just a photo op. The audience and his supporters (now former) were rightfully appalled. Moore correctly stated that Obama cracked down on more whistleblowers than any other President in history. Solid film, I'd have to say.
When and how did Google Classroom get inside our public schools? I do not remember any discussion about the pros and cons of this. It is a “free” service, but we know the price is the collection of data. The district where I live has all the Google apps for every child. The district from which I retired has some teachers using this as well. It is worldwide.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent, did you give permission for a private company to collect your child's responses to homework, quizzes, and tests? Will a poem about dogs lead to ads for dog food? How many years will pass before your fifth grader's data will be rounded up into an aggregate score. Will colleges use the score to determine admissions? How much will employers pay to find out how quickly and accurately your child answered questions? Will credit companies use the score to fund loans for cars and homes? Who will hack the data?
As a society, the mega question that needs to be asked: Is looking at a screen all day starting in Kindergarten a good idea? A newspaper article last week proudly hailed the roll out of local school buses with WiFi.
"Teachers and students love Howard Zinn. But A People’s History is as closed-minded as the textbooks it replaces": https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/09/howard-zinn-in-history-class-teachers-and-a-peoples-history-of-the-united-states.html
ReplyDeleteI've heard many students say Howard Zinn's People's History is the central/sole textbook in their history course. That's a very bad practice.
Interview with Lionel Shriver on Spiked:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/everyone-on-earth-is-part-of-my-world.-they-belong-to-me/21818#.W6iehFJoQWo
Any interesting reading recommendations for us Me Berman
ReplyDeleteHello Wafers:
ReplyDeleteAaron, your concerns about language aren't anything new, and they predate cellfones by decades at least. You might appreciate what George Orwell has to say about the subject in "Politics and the English Language," published in 1946. What you refer to as "buzzwords," by the way, he called "prefabricated henhouses."
Based on a cursory review of us "progressive" sites, they keep delusionally talking abt resistance, revolting, shoulds/oughts tos, and lotsa movements. usa-ers have to be the dumbest, brain damaged/brain dead mother fuckers that have ever inhabited the planet. Other than sports, celebrity gossip, and how to get money--what do they talk abt?
ReplyDeleteIt NEVER dawns on them that the us house is rotted beyond repair, roof gonzo, floors caving in, rats everywhere, and the spouse is abusive and toxic. And they are/were RESPONSIBLE for this. Yet, they keep chanting, genitalia hatting, & marching w/ movement talk.
The only sure movement, will be a bowel movement.
antidote to decline time:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-jewish-deli-is-having-a-moment-in-places-where-youd-least-expect-it/2018/09/21/dbfa10d2-bcef-11e8-8792-78719177250f_story.html
American Babies now just wandering around HIGHWAYS!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/09/24/baby-found-crawling-across-new-jersey-road-prompts-investigation.html
American Idiot: Rethinking Anti-Intellectualism in the Age of Trump...
http://www.publicseminar.org/2017/08/american-idiot/
Mike-
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree with you that progs are revolting.
JCT-
Millions, really. Start with TMWQ and AWTY.
mb
However you feel about Kavanaugh, the "case" of sexual abuse brought against him could not possibly have less supporting evidence.
ReplyDeleteKav isn't being criminally charged, he's trying to get a promotion. The level of evidence / proof is much higher/more formal for the former.
I don't like the fact that he was acting like frat boy, but I especially can't stand being lied to, particularly by someone who was groomed ("like a hot house flower") for the top court in the land. He's lied before, under oath, not just at this recent hearing.
Hola los Waferes y GSWH.
ReplyDelete@Miles Deli. previous post. "Fixing a Hole". The guitar solo is actually quite easy to learn. If you play. I had to listen again. Though I have a thousand times before. Classic is as classic does. Thank you.
@ JCT. I re-discovered this book in one of my book boxes yesterday. I thought I had lost it. Highly recommended. Wafer approved. It is a memoir. "I'll Tell Them I Remember You" by William Peter Blatty.
@GSWH. Have you read this booK? I am guessing that you have.
"I cannot live without books." - Thomas Jefferson
Thank you - professor Berman.
Wafers - Rave On.
Why did Sigmund Freud write a scandalous biography of Woodrow Wilson?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-drove-sigmund-freud-write-scandalous-biography-woodrow-wilson-180970042/
Freud’s coauthor “jettisoned speculation that Wilson masturbated excessively and had a castration complex, and he nixed a passage in which Freud directly links Christianity with homosexuality.”
Looks like the last prominent member of the ruling class to face #MeToo allegations is progressive Democrat and black Muslim Keith Ellison--is progressive Democrat and black Muslim Keith Ellison--and they are far more recent than those against Kavanaugh. From a declinist point of view, this is great news. Let's take all the bastards down, whether they are guilty or not.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, British peace activist Ambassador Craig Murray just wrote a scathing indictment of The Guardian for pushing blatantly false intelligence service propaganda: Extraordinary and Deliberate Lies from the Guardian. Just a reminder to NEVER take anything published or broadcast in the MSM at face value.
And our old friend, State Department whistleblower Peter Van Buren, has some interesting thoughts on the upcoming midterms: "Telling people economic progress is a result of the former administration is a punch line. It is hard to overstate how deeply these Americans despise the Obama response to their 2008 financial crisis...If Democrats insist on November being Trump vs. Trump, a referendum on the first half of his term to see if he gets to play out the second half, all without themselves bringing something new and real forward, they may not like the answer voters give."
What do you call a revolution led by Chris Hedges?
ReplyDeleteDrug overdose deaths in the United States have risen exponentially since 1979 with the number of deaths doubling approximately every nine years.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.sciencenews.org/article/drug-overdose-deaths-america-are-rising-exponentially
Drug, alcohol and suicide deaths among young Americans are driving down U.S. life expectancy.
http://time.com/5400566/cdc-mortality-report/
Record levels of unhappiness registered across the globe with the exception of Latin America.
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2018-09-12/2017-a-record-year-of-unhappiness-around-the-world-survey-shows
Rosegarden, I didn't know about Google Classroom but it is creepy as hell. Have a look at what is in store for us (in this case China is leading the way):
ReplyDeleteCodes started showing up on graves (scan to learn more about the deceased) and the shirts of waiters (scan to tip). Beggars printed out QR codes and set them out on the street.
MB,
ReplyDeleteI just returned from 2 weeks in England, I lived in the UK in 1995-1996 and have been returning to see friends every 2-4 years ever since. They have officially caught up to "America" and are as doomed as we are. I doubt I'll ever return, or fly again. On the trip I am proud to say I finished The Twilight of American Culture, it made me feel semi-sane again. You see, I took a job at "The most prestigious public University in the United States" last year, and have been losing my mind ever since, being literally mentally and emotionally tortured. Everything you read about this University in the conservative news (there is a lot) doesn't come close to how bad things are there. This is said by a former "radical, left-wing, progressive" of many years. Doom!
On the subject of good and /or interesting books, I am nearly done with "The Making of a Radical" by Scott Nearing. Our silenced intellectuals have seen what's coming for more than a century. Our knowledge of and curiosity about our history makes me weep.
I should get through the next two books of your trilogy in the next month. I aspire to waferdom. Thank you for existing.
Hitler's American Model : How the Nazis used Jim Crow Laws as the Model for Their Race Laws
ReplyDeleteWhat a worthless evening I had. I went to see Moore's 11-9-beyond delusional. He truly feels there's an imminent revolution led by Ocasio, survivors of the Parkland shooting, and a few others proudly running as progressives (Ocasio recently endorsed Governor Cuomo of NY-so much for being a socialist). The most revealing part of the movie was that not only did Obama do nothing with regard to the drinking water in Flint, but actually used the city for target practice! Yes, there were so many abandoned buildings there that he allowed the military to actually bomb the place! Still, Moore does his 11th hour rabbit out the hat trick led by Ocasio and a few other highly deluded politicians. I'm looking how I can get my $10 back.
ReplyDeleteTude-
ReplyDeleteI shall also be returning to the UK, and Eire, to visit friends, in a few wks. Wonder what I'll find. I'm worried that a shark off of Cork coast will leap up and bite me in the ass. Anyway, always, always, capitalize Wafer.
dg-
Posturing, I suppose.
mb
I think we are in the middle of a quiet Suez moment.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.haaretz.com/world-news/remaining-powers-of-nuclear-deal-looking-to-save-trade-ties-with-iran-1.6495264
A federalized EU alone would be more powerful than the US. Britian would have to accept junior status within it after the Brexit stunt is forgiven, or else simply become the Jamaica of the North Sea, a home for international tax evasion.
A federalized EU plus China or Russia as an international trade block is game, set, and match for the US and its 'friends'.
https://youtu.be/EtwmjcsQi1E
The day the dollar dies Americans are going to have to actually work instead of live off of charm, magic techno-think, and BS... Little indication it will be possible.
Greetings MB and Wafers,
ReplyDeleteMB-
Sarah Palin says she's ready to leave Alaska and *do* a lot more:
https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/407809-sarah-palin-ready-to-leave-alaska
Strike while the iron is hot, MB.
Miles
Anon-
ReplyDeleteSorry, I don't post Anons.
Jeff-
I cd probably persuade her to come to Mexico for a good shtupping, but somehow in my mind this event wd always take place on ice.
mb
Hola los Waferes,
ReplyDelete@ Tude - TOAC is only the beginning of your journey into the belly of the beast. Jump right into Dark Ages America and Why America Failed. Then read Great Seer of the Western Hemisphere's terrific essay collections, A Question Of Values and Are We There Yet? You'll probably feel a whole lot better.
Wafers need not fear "losing one's mind". That would be a good thing; perhaps the best defense against the insanity we feel besieged by. The decline is inevitable, overdue. Practical work and practical work habits, deliberate and slow are the key.
Playing a musical instrument is crucial. A simple drum is a great place to start.
As I learned my way through high school, reading the great masters of haiku poetry also helped me to understand the dual nature of "the floating world." George Carlin helped me learn to laugh at the absurdity of it all. I'm still learning and laughing.
Sorry I can't add much to the documentation of empire's decline. Being immersed in it, I am, as Morris notes, counting blessings. My talents are barely worth noting. But they are useful. Gracias a todos los Waferes for keeping me "in the game."
@DioGenes
ReplyDeleteProblem is that its rivals are facing considerable problems of their own. With euroskepticism running strong, the chances of a fully federalized EU in the near future looks slim. Even if it went that way, it has some major demographical and ideological issues that it needs to smooth out before it could seriously challenge the US. You’d also have to ignore the fact that the EU depends vitally on the US for defense. EU members Poland and the Baltic States would balk at any reduction of its defense role.
Again, while I believe in “declinism”, a lot of people underestimate the goodwill that the US inspires. Often the countries that are most betrayed by the US are its most steadfast supporters. Take Japan, for instance. Its diplomatic history with the US—prewar and postwar—has mostly played out with Japan as the junior (and often the victim) of its bullying partner. Despite that, Japan has often acted in ways that are detrimental to itself for the sake of keeping the US happy. A couple notable examples are its failure to resolve the Northern Territories (Kuril Islands/Chirishima rettō) issue with the USSR. In 1956, both countries reached a compromise wherein the two southernmost islands would be returned to Japan, and the status of the remaining ones worked out at a later date. The US intervened, warning Japan that if it were to accept the USSR’s terms, it would renege on returning the Ryūkyū Islands (Okinawa Prefecture). Fast forward over 60 years and the Northern Territories issue remains a sore point between Japan and Russia. Then there was the Plaza Accord of 1985 which ended in Japan propping up the US economy at its own expense, which led to the crash of the Japanese economy six years later, as well as the resulting “lost 20 years”. It bears mentioning that Japan alternates with China as the #1 holder of US debt. (China also has very many reasons of its own to not cash in its debt, but that’s a story for another day.)
Despite grumbling to the contrary, a lot of countries do believe the BS about it being “the indispensable nation”. As a result, there likely won’t be a “Suez moment”. However, reality will hit it at some point. Though how this will occur will likely surprise us all. Who was it that said “history doesn’t repeat, but it sometimes rhymes”?
@alyosha--the level of "proof" in a civil matter (which is what Kavanaugh is undergoing) is "preponderance of the evidence," which, as they drilled into my head when I underwent the legal training, means "50% plus 1." A he-said, she said allegation with no corroborating information falls at exactly 50-50, and yes, denying someone a "promotion" based strictly on such an allegation is a very scary precedent that says a "victim" shall always be believed. As I learned in my decade spent as the supervisor of the State Department's complaint intake unit, only a tiny percentage of complaints ever have any validity. Most are from vindictive people trying to to get back at someone they believe wronged them. If such individuals are presumed to be telling the truth, America is over as a nation as no one will be safe from having their reputations destroyed.
ReplyDeleteSimple Justice put up another post which sums it all up quite well: "I don’t want Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, but then there’s no one Trump will nominate who I would want on the Court. But what I don’t want more is to watch a nation devolve into idiocracy, paralysis, fundamental dishonesty. The hyper-partisans of both sides regurgitate their special brand of platitudinous nonsense, which is both tedious and infantile. Each believes that if they just scream louder, just call more names, they will win.
"No one will win, and we will all assuredly lose when we have enabled the ruination of government in the name of the teams’ respective fantasies."
"Ex-UN chief Ban Ki-moon says US healthcare system is 'morally wrong'"
ReplyDeletehttps://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/sep/25/ex-un-chief-ban-kioon-says-us-healthcare-system-is-morally-wrong
^^This is about as much of a revelation as the fact that the sky is blue. Only a sociopath could defend the U.S. healthcare system.
MB & Wafers,
ReplyDeleteJust finished a book recommended by Paul Craig Roberts, "Losing Military Supremacy - The Myopia of American Strategic Planning", by Andrei Martyanov. Lots of technical military stuff in there, but Martyanov is an astute observer of the state of the US today - specifically how cut off from reality about the rest of the world most Americans are, and have been for decades. But he saves his most scathing commentary for the so-called 'foreign policy' and 'military/technical' experts that are driving US diplomatic, military, and foreign policy. Basically, he notes that the people who are the supposed 'experts' in all things Soviet/Russia are working from only the most superficial, limited knowledge, and demonstrates through many examples how "delusional" our foreign policy is today. He bemoans the arrogance, hubris, ignorance, delusions of grandeur, and triumphalism that drive US strategy. Wafers who have an interest in this topic will find that the rot in the system permeates the highest reaches.
This arrogance, ignorance and hubris is exactly why, as Diogenese noted, the EU, Russia and China have concluded an agreement to provide an alternative payment system from them to Iran for oil to circumvent US sanctions. Somehow all the 'experts' in DC failed to understand the consequences of their actions. Let the de-dollarization of the world begin.
World Leaders laugh at Trumpi during the UN speech Haha, well done Trumpi. Wish you remain the President forever and take Amrika down the drain.
ReplyDeleteBeauty of Capitalism Sell disease with one hand and cure with another
Rhodes Technologies Inc. has been granted a patent for a new drug that could help treat opioid addiction. This sounds like good news at first — like someone’s actually doing something to fight the epidemic that’s destroying lives across the country at an alarming rate. It sounds like good news, until you realize that Rhodes Technologies Inc. is a subsidiary of Purdue Pharma, the same company that many hold responsible for starting the opioid epidemic in the first place because they flooded the market with OxyContin and allegedly suppressed reports of the drug’s addictive properties for years.
A family out for a drive in northern Utah to see the leaves changing color had their excursion abruptly terminated when their 14-year-old son fell victim to a stray bullet. A family uprange of the road on which the Kempkes were driving was taking target practice, firing at trees. One of shots went astray, striking and killing Zack Kempke instantaneously. The Kempkes, who are themselves gun owners, chose to emphasize the importance of gun safety in a post-incident interview: “You need to be 100 percent sure of where that bullet ends up when it leaves that barrel. If you don't know, don't shoot," [Zack’s father] said.
ReplyDeletehttp://kutv.com/news/local/family-issues-plea-for-gun-safety-after-14-year-old-boy-killed-by-target-shooter
And under the heading of “that’s some fucked up shit, yo,” this:
Port St. Lucie, Florida teacher Diane Tirado, a 17-year veteran, was fired by the principal of West Gate K-8 School. Tirado, a social studies teacher who was in a probationary period at this school, had given students who failed to turn in work a grade of 0, which the school handbook prohibits: no zeros, minimum grade 50 (percent). Ms. Tirado asked how she could justifiably give any positive grade to someone who’d done no work.
http://cbs12.com/news/local/teacher-says-she-was-fired-for-giving-zeroes-to-students-who-didnt-turn-in-their-work
Hector-
ReplyDeleteO there will be an external Suez moment, you can bet on it. As for Japan, check out my bk on the subject. Historically speaking, Japan had no real choice abt keeping the US happy. Meanwhile, pls watch length. Thank you.
mb
https://www.globalzero.org/
ReplyDeleteThe world has reduced its nuclear arsenal by 85%. Here's how to get to zero
A frightening and darkly humorous book on the subject comes to mind, it is Command and Control by Eric Schlosser
For something Waferish to watch check out Fargo season 3. Good portrayal of Americans disconnected from the rest of the world and basically full of shit, has a nice Peter and the Wolf motif.
ReplyDelete"Agent Burgle. Gloria. Trust me. The future is certain. And when it comes, you will know without question, your place in the world. Until then, we've said all their is to say. Any further debate would be simply wasting our breath. And if there's one thing I can't abide, it's waste. Goodbye."
"The problem is not that there is evil in the world, the problem is that there is good. Because otherwise, who would care?"
-V.M. Varga
Wafers new this a long time ago....
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/26/billionaire-la-times-owner-calls-social-media-the-cancer-of-our-time.html
Greetings MB and Wafers,
ReplyDeleteWell, at this point, I think I should opine on a few current events:
1. Kava-nut was the last American virgin.
2. Trumpicus is the ultimate Nowhere Man.
3. The Supreme Court is a kangaroo court that serves the interest of the 1%.
4. Dems and Reps are a duopolist circle-jerking set-up.
5. Forget Avenatti, we want Stormy!
6. Rod Rosenstein is a dork.
7. The FBI needs to be renamed the FBE (Full-Brown-Eye).
8. May a fluffle of bunnies wildly poop inside Chuck Grassley's front yard.
9. Dear Ivanka, Stay strong, chickababe -- xoxo.
10. MB needs to give Sarah a go-round like she's never had.
Toodles,
Miles
The Western philosophical tradition - so Christian... https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/sep/25/about-time-why-western-philosophy-can-only-teach-us-so-much
ReplyDeleteHector-
ReplyDeletePost only once every 24 hrs, thank you.
Jeff-
Check out my new bk, "Sarah on Ice."
jj-
Time to start calling it the Turkey Media. It really is for turkeys.
Belle-
Check out my Japan bk, the chapter on Japanese philosophy.
mb
Regarding US debt holders dumping their holdings as a political tactic - I don't see this happening in the immediate future. Even now, when U.S. global leadership is shakier than its ever been, investors still pour into U.S. Treasures as a safe bet. The unfortunate truth is that the rest of the world needs the U.S. to be economically healthy, we've become "too big to fail". However one day, maybe sooner than I think, this will no longer be true, in which case I could see using debt holdings as a political tool against the U.S. Hell, look at what China is doing now all over Africa.
ReplyDeleteA more likely scenario to me in the near term is a Lehman Brothers style collapse. Where for some reason, either a suez moment, or an economic panic or something, investors simply don't have the funds or are unwilling to buy U.S. Debt. This would make the American way of life a lot less doable in a hurry. Look at 2008, none of these financiers wanted to trigger an economic apocalypse, they wanted to make money. But the virtual money they were passing back and forth suddenly turned into dogshit, and no one was buying.
@Hector--as the Canadian folksinger Bruce Cockburn once sand of America's foreign policy, it's "kill the best and buy the rest," which is a pretty good summation of how America keeps countries like Japan "in line" even as it continually pisses on their heads. From May to Trudeau to Merkel to Abe, the world is full of corrupt American poodles.
ReplyDeleteIn the headlines: Man with foot fetish admits to preying on female realtors in Arizona. Anthony had told most of the realtors he was a reflexologist, and that’s why he was so interested in their feet. But that was a lie, according to the local TV news station – Anthony apologized and said he’s actually a bartender.
Preacher: It’s a “Historical Fact” That Dinosaurs Were Killed in the Civil War. In fact, General Lee's favorite steed was a Brontosaurus.
Who’s throwing, rolling bowling balls at cars? I dunno--douchebags?
Naked Florida man chases couple around Chick-fil-A parking lot. Suspect accused of yelling at people to look at his genitals.
@meangenekaz - thank you for your reply. I agree with you on the "losing one's mind", I've done it many times. This time I cannot escape until February. Long story. I am on my way through the books you recommended, but have been working my way up for years. I am very busy in my garden growing food, busy in the house purging, and planning escape (at least from the hell of this area - SF) in 2019.
ReplyDeleteYes, an instrument. I have never played one but have settled on the banjo and you have inspired me to finally get one and learn. It seems a fitting instrument for these times.
Apologies to the Wafers for the lack of respect. I know better now.
This item from the police blotter: a Birmingham, Alabama father who placed his 5-month-old son in the bathtub then left to play a video game has been charged with reckless manslaughter. When the father remembered his son an hour later, he summoned medics. They found the child in distress and unresponsive; the boy died after arrival at Children’s Hospital. No word on the game in question or the father’s score when the game was terminated.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2018/09/father_charged_in_bathtub_drow.html
I remember reading this years ago. Fraternity members chanting no means yes on Yale campus.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/students-outraged-as-yale-fraternity-suspended-for-no-means-yes-chants-establishes-chapter-at-9092845.html%3Famp&ved=2ahUKEwi6p9n91NvdAhXJzlMKHVnWBGwQFjAAegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw38TksL-I1xPgOAZZtb_qrV&cf=1
It's weird, people smart enough to be accepted into Yale saying no means yes.
I hope there is an FBI investigation into Kavanaugh. But, hey if he is confirmeded he can rub elbows with Clarence Thomas and Mr. Pussy grabber himself.
The supreme court jester "news" is simply more usa entertainment/distractions. Reminds me of the Ollie North "news" too; usa-ers fixated to interrogations, "tough" questioning--gives the illusion of a govt.
ReplyDeleteThis typical us bullshit is right there with OJ Simpson and Clarence -Pubic Hair- Thomas "news."
Anything to keep the corporate owned populace pre-occupied and/or distracted from their rancid reality. No real health care, no free university, no employment security, no long term care, FATCA/CBT, etc...etc...
@ Tude Good to hear about the banjo. The 4-string tenor version is easier (for me) but 5- string is easy as well because it is tuned to a G major chord. I don't like it as much because of the twangy bluegrassy association, in my mind. Which is really not a fair characterization - only my bias.
ReplyDeleteBanjos are a lot like drums. They use a drum head for the the "top." Guitars have a top which is a wood soundboard like a piano. A simple "ashjko" style hand drum is great. Very portable as well.
@ Morris I finished AWTY? last night. Terrific. You are a superb essayist...chapters 18. 19, 20 leading up to Part III "AWTY?" was like this in my thoughts . . . Two out. Bases loaded. It's Belman at the bat. The count is 0 and 2. Here comes a wide curve and - CRACK! Belman connects . . , going, going,going - it's outta the park! Palin swoops down and hands the great Seer of Western Hemispheric Caseyism a big cup of shaved ice, with a sly wink. . . and they disappear into the dugout. Game over.
See ya Wafers next week.
P.S. The senate hearings confirm it- we are history.
Hi Dr. Berman and Wafers:
ReplyDeleteWell, Paul Craig Roberts believes (and offers some evidence) that Trump is the historical player who may very well end US hegemony. Whether Trump is doing this deliberately or as a series of unplanned actions and reactions, who knows. Perhaps the actions of the republicans/democrats/Trump may not be good for the American people but they are continuing what has been happening for the last 40 years or so and very few are really protesting - no revolution for greater representation of the people.
https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2018/09/27/trump-an-assessment/
Hola MB, Wafers,
ReplyDeleteHere's the Brass Tacks:
Both of them are telling us the truth, but Kav was too drunk to remember it.
Miles
Well, I'm not sure what all this gnashing of teeth over Kavanaugh is about. Framing it as a tragedy that this nation can't handle a confirmation process is ... insane. Like what, overnight normalcy returned for the sake of a confirmation hearing? This nation hasn't handled anything well in decades, and the courts as far as I'm concerned were clearly bought and sold back in 2000. And 2008, and 2010, and ...
ReplyDeleteMore of the same here: https://darkageprep.com/2018/09/27/kavanaugh-kaos/ and the sole commenter doubles down. He wishes the Senate would do their jobs. When did everyone become so squeamish that even bloggers spin for page views? (Not this one, we should note).
My mother: If wishes were horses, we'd all ride.
Philip K. Dick: Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.
A name for a Hedges revolution? "Hedging Your Bet"
Puss
Ted Rall discusses why the Democrats have decided to oppose Brett Kavanaugh based on sexual misconduct allegations and not based on his record supporting torture, surveillance and the imperial presidency.
ReplyDeletehttp://rall.com/2018/09/26/brett-kavanaugh-sex-scandals-teach-us-that-extremism-even-supporting-torture-are-a-ok
I think it is telling that sex scandals are more important in America than issues like torture and mass surveillance.
Tom-
ReplyDeleteHave I said this before? Americans are stupid.
Puss-
From a declinist pt of view, it wd be gd if Kav was convicted of sexually assaulting 1000 women, and then got confirmed to the Supreme Court. As for Hedges: I think you got it right. Names can be so revealing: he hedges. His goal is to be out in front of everything, hence the occasional declinist piece he writes. Gee, what if there won't be a revolution? Maybe I shd say, once a yr, that we're finished. I'll hedge my bets. That way, I can always be rt, be on top of everything.
Michael-
Remember Adam Smith's invisible hand? Well, in this case it's called History. Trump has no idea as to what he's doing, but History does, and it is guiding him in the direction of putting an end to globalization, capitalism, and the US as well. If it takes a kleptocracy to do it (along with an idiocracy--see the movie), well what the heck.
mean-
Glad u liked AWTY. Even happier over the possibility of Sarah on ice. Altho I still have a thing for Tina Fey.
Mike-
Exactly: the American head is embedded in dogshit, and thinks this 'news' is cutting edge. But I'm not sure it's a conspiracy: the MSM probably believes this is what is impt as well. Virtually *all* Americans are stupid, after all.
mb
Happy Friday Wafers!
ReplyDeleteCame across this interesting article which referenced Walt Whitman among other folks. We've been a hustling empty culture forever, since our founding, Trumpi is just the cherry on top:
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/corporate-capitalists-killed-american-identity/
Quote "In 2004, the historian Walter McDougall concluded that as early as the Civil War, America was a “nation of hustlers.” During Reconstruction, Walt Whitman wrote that “genuine belief” seemed to have left America. “The underlying principles of the States,” Whitman said, “are not honestly believed in, nor is humanity itself believed in.”"
BrotherMaynard
P.S. re: the current Senate hearings, ask yourself if you think the nation can stand 3 or even 2 more years of this without degenerating into open civil conflict, then realize this is exactly what is going to happen...
Hello Wafers:
ReplyDeleteI know Chris Hedges gets less respect than Rodney Dangerdfield around here, but I think Wafers might appreciate what he says about the collapse of the US empire in this recent interview on Canadian TV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPk9HSLagVg
He says the uprising by the starving US masses will be triggered by the next economic collapse, which we all know won't happen, especially as he cites examples from Europe and elsewhere as precedents.
I saw John Kerry on TV a week or so ago on either John Oliver or Bill Maher (I forget which, but those are the only possibilities), where he said that he "believes in America." That is such a strange expression, although it articulates the concept that the USA is a religion quite well. I don't know of residents of any other country who "believe" in their state, as if a political entity is an act of faith or a manifestation of God's will.
Cue the undertaker in The Godfather...
Here's an idea, take All $ out of the equation for who gets to attend these 'elite' sociopath factories, if USA! is so fuckin' great why not create a real meritocracy? And why do I get the feeling Mrs. (Blasé) Ford is 'taking one for the team?' Personally I'm OK with it if she is. But like we all know this is insignificant political theater, not like they don't have a very deep bench of fuck-ups, assholes, and sexual sadists to replace him with. MB, the day of reckoning is nigh.
ReplyDeleteDr. B,
ReplyDeleteAs I watched the hearings (that is what they called this spectacle, I believe) yesterday, I was struck repeatedly by the lack of intellect present in the room. Not only the Senators - frankly, I find none of them very well-spoken in any case - but the two main characters. Dr. Ford used a few words of jargon from her profession, but otherwise appeared to struggle to understand some of the questions asked of her, none of which were cloaked in obscure vocabulary.
And Kavanaugh (!). The fellow is asking for a job on the Supreme Court and supposedly attended the "finest" schools, where he, by his claim, shone as a blinding light of intellectual prowess amongst his lessors. Yet he spoke as though he were in a school-yard, and it was not the fault of the topic at hand. There was no indication of deep thought at all. He sniffled, snorted, name-called, resorted to conspiracy theories about a Clinton cabal and displayed the same simplistic grammar and language skills that we hear from Trump.
But these two people went to the "best schools" and have advanced degrees; and one of them might well soon be writing opinions on the highest court. (Presumably with a good dictionary and thesaurus in hand.) Did Kavanaugh sound this dumb during the previous nomination hearings? If so, one *more* reason to reject him.
I don't know if it's the very mediocre educational system we have now, or the two of them "dumbed it down" for their audience, but it was just disheartening and disturbing.
- Teri
Teri-
ReplyDeleteTwo things to keep in mind, which have been mentioned here b4:
1. Americans are not very bright. This is the hard rock of contemporary American life. They just don't have it upstairs. Progs can't admit this, because then WTF are they doing with their lives?
2. American universities, including the elite ones, are shadows of their former selves. They are little more than jokes now.
al-
What's wrong with Rodney? As for Hedges, can you imagine him saying something like this: "I've been pumping for revolution for a long time now, but have lately given it some serious thought, and now realize it just can't happen here because Americans are dummies. Most of them don't have 2 thoughts to rub together. In addition, they are shmucks. And frankly, I'm one as well. What in the world was I thinking?"
mb
Greetings MB and Wafers,
ReplyDeleteWell, I think professor Ford emerged from yesterday's spectacle unscathed and humble. She did so in a venue that was patently unfair and anti-democratic; one that suppressed supporting evidence and witnesses. Judge Kav, however, came out -- loud, obnoxious, indignant -- blaming his persecution on commies, Democrats, Trumpo-haters, and the Clintons. The guy is nothing more than a full-throated Trumpian knuckle hole. Then the water works began, of course, as he blubbered and schmaltzed his way thru the hearing. If a woman behaved the way Kav did, they would have dragged her out of the chamber in a straightjacket. I tell ya, the only people who could identify w/Kav are guys working on their fifth boilermaker, immersed in their own life resentments, and getting ready to head home to beer fart in their matrimonial beds.
Miles
So, I'm thinking about NMI, keeping in mind I'm years from being able to leave the US. What's a girl to do to prepare for a decline? Then I see this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.desdemonadespair.net/2018/09/next-financial-crash-will-be-worse-than.html
It's the graphic, the table, that interests me in the link. Taking the amounts as somewhat close to reality, this is very bad (VERY BAD) management. As in, the people we've entrusted to do their job of managing this country (same for other countries) have done a really shitty job. Really ... shitty ... job, along with their counterparts elsewhere.
So the question leading up to this has been what to preserve (NMI, etc. ) I'm kinda switching to "what should we make sure DOESN'T survive into the future"? Seems like a much more important question, maybe. What belongs in history's trash bin, forevermore?
Puss
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI'm a new poster. Before I post anything else, what are the general "rules of conduct" ,if any, in regards to posting?
Thank you in advance.
White Hot Harlots just put up two short but scathing rants re: Ellison and Kavanaugh:
ReplyDeleteKeith Ellison hasn’t even been accused of anything: "He is excused of growing distant toward an abusive woman and then, eventually after they broke up and she was still living with him, he yelled at her, told her to get out of his house. Are we still in a place where we’re talking about a willingness to listen to and believe a victimhood claim, or have things gotten significantly stupider than that? The answer is, in each situation, we’re going to end up believing the woman (not plural) who has the loudest voice, who’s been given access to the microphone. And that means, by definition, we are not going to believe the marginalized. We’re going to hear, and therefore believe, the ones whose narratives best serve those who are already empowered."
The rot is undeniable: "...we know now what they themselves have always known–that power is really the only thing that matters. We all used to surmise that power was morally self-validating, but now we can admit that no such validation is necessary. They won. We lost. Fuck off."
Hello Prof. Berman and Wafers!
ReplyDeleteWe all know that most Americans are arrogant and think that their country will never fall.
All of us on this blog know that the US is going to fall and the primary reasons are the American ppl themselves and their sick and stupid culture.
There seems to be a small number of Americans that do see that their country is collapsing but they seem to think that it is because of the UN, Globalists and/or some secret society like the illuminati. It seems like they believe that some plots like Agenda 21 are plans to force Americans to live in small apartments and from I hear it seems that there are those that think that one day the US will be invaded by UN army troops and they will be oppresing Americans.
Here are a few videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZSJxp3KU2A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAXKqsE2f9s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91XuGnrBY4c
MB & Wafers --
ReplyDeleteWhy are Amrikans obsessed with the subject of "serial killers" ? There's like tons of movies/series made on this topic. Apart from "apocalypse" themes, serial killer seems to be the other consistent genre. People not familiar with this subject have a hard time understanding why the heck do they try to figure out the "mind/anatomy of a serial killer". Like, aren't these idiots just terrible assholes maybe with a difficult upbringing. Are Turkeys just trying to hustle even here by trying to depict this topic as intellectual psychology bs ? Or is this also a sign of the societal collapse? It's a rare occurrence in the rest of the World, but Amrika seems to have plenty of these assholes.
Eric-
ReplyDeleteThanks for asking. Limit posts to half a page, and post only once every 24 hrs. Dissent is fine, just make sure it's couched in courteous terms. No flaming or trashing other Wafers, but shitting all over trollfoons is not merely tolerated, but encouraged. Always capitalize Wafer. Bonus pts for referring to Hillary as Botox Face, to Obama as a piece of dreck, and to progs as impotent buffoons.
I think that covers it.
Welcome to The Greatest Blog on Earth (GBOE).
Oh, and address me either as Mr. Berman, or as Great Seer of the Western Hemisphere (GSWH).
mb
Wafers-
ReplyDelete2 impt films on Iraq: "Backstabbing for Beginners," and "Thank You for Your Service."
mb
Film recommendations always appreciated, I've been stuck in the hospital for a week with some sort of pneumonia, they don't know what is causing it so test, test, test for me. Nurses have been, mostly, great. Docs, not so much. When one has little else to do but turn on that waterfall of useless information on TV and the web, it is disheartening at how easy it is for the junk to get out and how hard it is to find real information.
ReplyDeletePretty damn funny
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/kurKyCAhhmQ
@Puss Killian - What should survive? Nothing. At least I can't think of anything at the moment. The organizing principle the glue holding the USA together (extremely capitalism) will be obsolete by the end of this century so...???? Extreme tribalism along racial or ethnic lines???? Won't be fun. I have read the only thing that survives of the Roman Empire is the Roman Catholic Church and have also read the only thing that will survive the USA is the Mormon Church.
ReplyDeleteBret Steohen's column today references ex-KGB analyst Igor Panarin who predicted back in 1998 the USA would break up by 2010. As Stephen's notes, he was probably only off by two decades; not bad.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/06/map-of-the-day-ex-kgb-analyst-predicts-balkanization-of-us/58945/
I don't think Panarin's map is how things will actually break. Much better is the work of Colin Woodward and Joel Garreau. I'm guessing things will break along their original founding.
Garreau - Nine Nations of North America: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nine_Nations_of_North_America
Woodward notes that regional differences from colonial times explain voting patterns in the 2016 election;
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/opinion/urban-rural-united-states-regions-midterms.html
The end can't come soon enough. Go Trump!
BrotherMaynard
FerQ, I've been hearing about the UN conspiracies for a while. To be sure, there are parts of the UN that are unsettling, but it's all the public stuff that's disturbing, not the conspiracies. I think the issue is people can't believe that all the destruction and evil was done by normal people like you and I, that it must be some evil conspiracy that gave us all the pollution, stupidity, isolation, and the tabloid media. The reality is, we did all this to ourselves, and there is no hidden conspiracy that's pulling the strings.
ReplyDeleteTo give a UN example I heard recently, the UPU sets international shipping rates, and this has allowed for Chinese manufacturers to ship to the US for a much cheaper rate than US manufacturers can ship within the US (about 3x more to ship within the US vs China to US). This isn't a conspiracy, as you can look up the UPU meetings and they'll tell you that shipping rates are set in private. This is hardly the conspiracy that people claim, but I can see where the anger comes from.
Aaron-
ReplyDeleteCheck out film "Backstabbing for Beginners." This might help you revise yr views.
Pastrami-
All Wafers wish you a speedy recovery. Yr chances of it are much better than those of the US, in any case.
mb
Mr. Pastrami,
ReplyDeleteI don't know if these are the sorts of things you like, but I can point to a couple of lecture series that kept me company when I was feeling low.
This is about the history of Chinese painting:
http://www.jamescahill.info/a-pure-and-remote-view
And this one is on Freud's relationship to the arts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5M5fu5YSSY
They aren't Wafer-ish, especially, except in the general sense that respect for real learning is Wafer-ish.
@Aaron Thomas: Speaking of people causing destruction themselves, consider the Dust Bowl as a perfect model. I am just finishing Timothy Egan's fine book "The Worst Hard Time", so this example is fresh in my mind. Due to greed, arrogance, and ignorance, farmers plowed up the prairie grasses in order to get rich on growing wheat (i.e., hustling). Along came the Depression and a big drought, and you have an environmental disaster. Just normal everyday farmers doing their thing created this. And ever since, people follow the same pattern, with respect to the environment as well as social and economic matters. Global climate warming is just the latest and biggest manifestation of this dynamic. But mind rot from social media and smartphones, loss of local economies due to Amazon and Google, etc. are also examples of people's individual, self-centered, and short-sighted behavior creating the ungodly mess the world is in today. If I could just sit back and watch the show, then I would indulge in Schadenfreude, but unfortunately I will be entrained into the dystopia in the same way as the children and other innocent victims of the Dust Bowl were. Infuriating.
ReplyDeleteSome random thoughts about Kavanaugh:
ReplyDelete1). Were he married to ol' Botoxface, there's no doubt she would be referring to the allegations against him as just another "bimbo eruption."
2). There was far more evidence that Bill Clinton was a rapist, yet progs and feminists formed a wall that prevented him from being removed from office as he should have been.
3). A confirmation hearing is SUPPOSED to be about the nominee's record and positions--like say, the fact that he helped develop Bush's torture policies and believes NSA spying on American citizens is permitted under the Constitution. Yet the Dumbocrats and progs have let that stuff pass with barely a comment. If he gets shot down, Trump will just name another douchebag who supports torture and spying, and centrist "Resistance" (barf) heroes like Mark Warner will intone about what a great legal mind he/she is.
4). Fuck the progs--not only do I hope Kavanaugh is confirmed, I hope that upon hearing the news Ruth Bader Botoxface-lover chokes on her applesauce and Trump also gets to name her replacement on the court. O&D!
Dr. Berman,
ReplyDeleteWith respect to Sarah and Tina, I think you need more of an "abundance mentality." Instead of being forced to choose one or the other, you should insist on both at the same time! You could have Tina Fey dress up as Sarah Palin or vice versa. And though Tina would no doubt be horrified at the thought of kissing her enemy Palin (Just as Sarah would hate the idea of kissing a Hollywood liberal!), I'm sure Chris Hedges with his newly-acquired "BDSM Degree" would have no trouble breaking both of them to the will of the Great Seer!
Personally, I have a thing for Russell Crowe. Not the actual guy, who seems like a total prick. But his movie persona in films like "Cinderella Man" and "Master and Commander." Either one is pretty close to my version of "the ideal man."
Otherwise, there's no doubt at all to me that Kavanaugh threw up in that guy's car during college. What a douche. He totally dodged that question! So if he gets confirmed, there will actually be a guy walking around who can say: "The newest member of the Supreme Court destroyed my car by vomiting all over it." Heh, Only in America!
Dr. Berman,
ReplyDeleteDon't know if anyone posted a link to this; I thought it was a well-written piece, as is usual with articles from Nomi Prins.
She finishes with this paragraph: "What we are witnessing is the start of the entropy wars, which will, in turn, hasten the unwinding of the American global experiment. Each arbitrary bit of presidential pique, each tweet and insult, is a predecessor to yet more possible economic upheavals and displacements, ever messier and harder to clean up. Trump’s America could easily morph into a worldwide catch-22. The more trust is destabilized, the greater the economic distress. The weaker the economy, the more disruptable it becomes by the Great Disrupter himself. And so the Trump spiral spins onward, circling down an economic drain of his own making."
- "The Entropy Wars", Nomi Prins, 30 Aug, '18
http://www.nomiprins.com/thoughts/2018/8/30/the-entropy-wars-1.html
MB & Wafers,
ReplyDeleteI remember the Panarin prediction of US breakup. Can't come soon enough!
In our little village here in Italy, there is a hotel/restaurant owned by a rich American. He has been steadily buying up pieces of the village in an effort to make the entire village his. He advertises that he has "saved" the village from dereliction - of course, those of us who were here before him would beg to differ - and has worked hard to make our little place a 'destination'. He rents the place next to us (3 fancy bedrooms, living/dining/kitchen) for 15000 euros a week (!!), so you can imagine the sort of entitled really rich people who show up here. There seem to be a lot of "destination weddings", of which there was one yesterday. At 1AM we were awoken by one of these distinguished guests yelling off the balcony, wondering why no one was responding to her. Didn't seem to occur to her that everyone was asleep, and perhaps she could call reception if she had a problem? Finally another of the guests (from an adjoining property) came over and quieted her down. Americans of course - not the first time obnoxiousness has occurred. Sigh - We get tired of apologizing for Americans to the locals.
Wafers,
ReplyDeleteJust when those believing in tech nirvana were putting their faith on Elon Musk to play the savior of our beleaguered civilization, he is charged with fraud. Any reactions?
It's only in civilizations in a deep spiritual crisis that you need AI robots to bring up kids, and elaborate studies to figure out that being kind gives us a warm glow inside:
https://www.ksl.com/article/46397864/ai-robots-are-transforming-parenting-in-china
https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/308051/p2fb-being-kind-really-does-give-us-a-warm-glow-inside-says-psychologists/
Not direct related to the decline of the Empire, but as I see it, much of the globe is in the midst of a spiritual decline.
Prasen
italiana-
ReplyDeleteTell the locals I'm doing a bk on Italy.
mb
@BrotherMaynard, agree the end can't come to soon. Watching the endless and increasing consumption first in Florida, and now close to The Orange One led me to conclude the only way to save the planet is collapse. Ironic.
ReplyDeleteI do believe there is something worth saving (besides ice cream) but not sure what exactly. I'm going to continue to ponder this. One idea is the literature on sociopaths.
An update to Woodard's regions not behind a paywall: https://www.businessinsider.com/regional-differences-united-states-2018-1
Charles Hughes Smith on what to do: http://charleshughsmith.blogspot.com/2018/09/how-do-we-change-our-lives-in-system.html
Puss Killian
The insanity continues in here in the States. The weirdest part of this of this whole thing is Lohan's reaction. She seemed genuinely shocked by what happened to her.
ReplyDeletehttp://mindy-fischer-writer.com/2018/09/lindsay-lohan-chases-homeless-family-accuses-them-of-trafficking-their-own-children-and-then-gets-clocked-by-the-mother-video/
Unknown-
ReplyDeleteSorry, I don't post Unknowns. You need real handle.
Shawn-
For a long time now, I've thought that Lindsay Lohan needed to be beaten to within an inch of her life, and then thrown on a dung heap. Is that your view as well?
Puss-
Bach?
mb
This is nice:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/09/30/sarah-palins-son-arrested-domestic-violence-charges-third-time-three-years/?utm_term=.9567ed139bd2
mb
Typical fall in Philly- 80 degrees plus this coming week. Dem hypocrisy vis a vis the Supreme Court is near breathtaking. They had the power to filibuster Alito, Roberts, Clarence Thomas, and Scalia but decided not to. In fact, Scalia was confirmed 98-0. It's all kabuki dance designed to attract campaign contributions. The Resistance is a joke. If you support capitalism, the difference between you and Trump is infinitesimal. I would love to know, for example, the amount of slave labor involved in the manufacturing of one automobile. Were it even known Americans of all political hue would scarcely care.
ReplyDeleteAt the intersection of firearms, population overshoot, and Customs and Border Protection:
ReplyDeleteIn a case just concluded in Arizona, a Border Patrol officer has been convicted of a misdemeanor (!) for an April 2017 incident that caused a fire that charred 47,000 acres, required 800 firefighters a week’s time to bring under control, and produced damages of just over $8 million. The officer wanted to reveal the sex of the baby his wife was carrying at a “gender-reveal” celebration by firing into a container—one holding a blue powder and the other a pink powder—so that the bullet would create a cloud of the appropriate color for (presumably) friends and wellwishers. His moronic behavior will cost him $220,000, but he will not lose his job. Such doings reveal why citizens laugh at their government.
https://tucson.com/news/local/border-agent-to-pay-k-for-tucson-area-wildfire-sparked/article_77b07742-c343-11e8-a6c7-9b739a2ac90b.html
The unfortunate thing will be when the usa empire collapses, becomes irrelevant, goes into a free fall (occurring as we speak), the populace will simply have no clue, nor want to seriously delve into any critical examination of Why the us failed. More: we must talk, action plans, or revolting bullshit. They simply do not want to know why the us was THE shit hole.
ReplyDeleteThe us populace simply does NOT have the capacity, historical perspective, knowledge 'thirst,' nor the ability to look outside the us propaganda narrative. Reality would be likely met with: "Oh, ok, alright--who won the game? "Which celeb has the best tits/ass etc..." As stated on Dr. Berman's blog--any 'punishment' would be lost on the us populace.
Worth saving: Philip Glass, John Adams, Terry Riley, Steve Reich et al.-counterpoint/minimalist musicians.
http://www.vulture.com/amp/2018/09/king-lear-amazon-anthony-hopkins-review.html
ReplyDeleteAmazon’s King Lear Captures the Heart of a Classic Shakespeare Tragedy
Looks v good
7 hot marketing tactics to help you pretend America isnt falling apart
ReplyDelete@Ordinary--it's been evident for several years now that Musk is a douchebag extraordinaire, in addition to being a hustler and a conman. At least the psychopaths in charge of Amazon, Apple & Google make products that work. That so many have been taken in by him just shows how dumb even the smart people are in America. Musk should be tied to a stake so that all those soccer players rescued in Thailand and the relatives of anyone killed by an exploding Tesla can liberally pee on his shoes.
ReplyDelete@David G--I read The Worst Hard Time several years ago, and can indeed attest that it is an excellent history of the Dust Bowl. I'm not sure it's really fair to label the subsistence level farmers who were fooled by a decade of relatively high rainfall in the Great Plains and had no way of knowing it was an anomaly as "hustlers." The hustlers are today's huge agribusiness giants who unsustainably grow tens of millions of acres of wheat, much of it for export, using water from the Oglala Aquifer despite knowing that once it runs out the Plains will become as arid as the desert Southwest. That's the real story of America as reflected in the Dust Bowl--to KNOW that you are destroying the natural environment, but not giving a shit as long as there is maximum profits to be made.
America is BACK, BABY!! ALL our troubles have been solved and it’s only milk and honey from here!!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/10/01/winners-losers-usmca-trade-deal/
@Puss - much thanks for the link to BizInsider on the 11 nations; they did a nice summary. I'm going to show my arrogant Yankee roots and say that while the whole culture of the USA is for shit, the Deep South and Greater Appalachia really drag us into the Stone Age. It would have been better to let the South succeed. More bluntly, the only way I don't see civil way (and I mean actual physical violence, killing, and destruction - brother against brother) happening here is peaceful succession. It makes no sense to try and turn Mississippi into California or vise-versa.
ReplyDeleteI know Canada gets bashed here as 'USA-lite' but I was recently had a business trip to Toronto and have to say Canada is general seems much more peaceful and civilized than the US. True story: I forgot where I parked. A man on a bicycle said I looked lost and asked if I needed help. I said I can't find my car. He asked me for a description and said he could find it on his bicycle quickly (it was a huge parking garage and I was walking with a heavy suitcase). He found it. Came back and told me. Then gave me directions to find it. I can't see that happening in the US.
Also, I noticed the convince store workers didn't seem haggard and exhausted from working 3 jobs. They seemed genuinely friendly and in good spirits.
BrotherMaynard
Greetings MB and Wafers,
ReplyDeleteHey, you've got to hide your love away dept:
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article219313855.html
Katherine Nieves-Tavarez, 27, attacked her boyfriend after he repeatedly declined to have sex w/her.
Miles
Jeff-
ReplyDeleteThat's one problem Sarah wdn't have (heh heh). Jesus, I sound like a moron. I think my level of senility is rising rapidly.
mb
In the 'Ain't Capitalism Great!!' department- @Bill Hicks said "That's the real story of America as reflected in the Dust Bowl--to KNOW that you are destroying the natural environment, but not giving a shit as long as there is maximum profits to be made."
ReplyDeleteSame concept, different sphere- Why curing a disease is bad business:
“[Gilead] is a case in point, where the success of its hepatitis C franchise has gradually exhausted the available pool of treatable patients,” the report read. “In the case of infectious diseases such as hepatitis C, curing existing patients also decreases the number of carriers able to transmit the virus to new patients, thus the incident pool also declines … Where an incident pool remains stable (eg, in cancer) the potential for a cure poses less risk to the sustainability of a franchise.”
https://gritpost.com/goldman-sachs-illness-business/
Opinion | America just won the world’s hardest math contest. Again. https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/opinions/america-just-won-the-worlds-hardest-math-contest-again/2018/08/01/b634f308-9594-11e8-8ffb-5de6d5e49ada_story.html
ReplyDeleteHmm, this is very counterintuitive in the light of this blog. Would love MB's view
Walter-
ReplyDeleteA quote from the article:
"it is worth noting that many of the team members are second- or third-generation immigrants. Loh, in fact, is the son of immigrant parents from Singapore. The team’s deputy leader, Sasha Rudenko, is a first-generation immigrant from Ukraine."
Meanwhile: Wafers: Don't miss it: "Woman Walks Ahead."
mb
Death of a Douche Bag-
ReplyDelete"This is a great and gruesome story. Custer was shot just below the heart sometime during the afternoon of June 25, 1876, nobody knows exactly when, though it is suspected that it was early in the final massacre on Last Stand Hill. The second shot, (which pierced his left temple and killed him) was at close range, and was most likely from a pistol. There is speculation that Custer’s brother Tom (two time Medal of Honor recipient in the U.S. Civil War) fired the fatal shot to prevent Custer from falling into enemy hands. This hypothesis is further supported by a native (Yellow Nose) who reported seeing tears in the normally stoic Tom’s eyes just before he was killed. After his death, the native american women left his body relatively intact, but they punctured his eardrums so that he might hear better in the afterlife (Custer had ignored warnings from the Sioux and violated his own promises to them by entering the Black Hills.), and crammed an arrow up his penis (Custer had raped a sqaw and made her his semi willing sex slave…) His remains were found in this condition by the first relief columns to arrive at the battlefield. They buried his remains on the field and left. A year later, remains thought to be Custer’s were shipped back east and buried with full honors in the West Point cemetery, where the gravesite can be viewed today. There is speculation however, that the body at West Point was misidentified, and that Custer’s remains are still buried somewhere at Little Bighorn, along with his brother Tom."
"Possessions are a disease with them"--Sitting Bull
The US houses a large # of cutting-edge intellects:
ReplyDeletehttps://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/01/entertainment/kanye-west-13th-amendment/index.html
A college football player is hospitalized in critical condition and the school is worried that a GoFundMe for him would violate NCAA rules. Imagine worrying about nonsense like that at a time like this.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/2018/10/01/christion-abercrombie-injury-tennessee-state-football-gofundme/1485307002/
God help this dystopia of a country
On platform capitalism:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08fgvln
I really like how they note that the data/efficiency/web craze that has swept business since the 90s is actually a result of how *difficult* it has become to really turn a profit in the old fashioned sense. These technologies are inherently destructive of margins and so you end up with a kind of play capitalism, where nobody is really making a profit but you can try and stay afloat by gaming others out of the market. This is exactly the strategy of Amazon, Uber, Google, etc- simply buy out the multitude of companies that could erode their really rather flimsy margins.
Michael-
ReplyDeleteIn a declinist context, this degradation is a gd thing. We spiral farther downward every day. We need Bolti; we need Kavanaugh; and we certainly need Trumpola. We need a population so fucked in the head that it cares 0 that Kav supports torture and gov't surveillance, and cares everything abt his sexual behavior. And we *have* that population, we have those type of people in office. All of these are examples of the spiritual death I talked abt in the Twilight bk. I hardly thought members of the gov't, or the general public, wd read the bk and say, "Oh, we really hafta reverse these trends." Of course not. I just didn't expect they wd accelerate as rapidly as they have. This is karma w/a vengeance.
mb
mb
Dr. B-
ReplyDelete"School hardening." Profits to be made!
https://lancasteronline.com/news/national/firms-sell-school-hardening-as-mass-shooting-solution/article_a2222aae-9713-5c7e-b6f3-10b53a156254.html
I survived the Warsaw ghetto. Here are the lessons I'd like to pass on
ReplyDeleteIf disaster comes, you will find that all the myths you once cherished are of no use to you. You will see what it is like to live in a society where morality has collapsed, causing all your assumptions and prejudices to crumble before your eyes. And after it’s all over, you will watch as, slowly but surely, these harshest of lessons are forgotten as the witnesses pass on and new myths take their place.
Prof. Berman- What you posted on Custer´s ending is a great story. I enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteAaron Thomas- I think that those Americans that are blaming the UN/Globalists/NWO are looking to blame someone else for the downfall of their country. They never want to admit that they themselves are the causes and that their actions will bring them consequences.
To Prof. Berman and all Wafers- I just saw a video from Univision news that mentions how the Mexican population in the US is decreasing. According to this analysis that Univision presented, 465,000 Mexicans left the US in the period of 2007-2017. If you speak or understand Spanish, here is the link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8mQ3Tg4ukY
I am imagining that as life in the US gets worse and when it collapses, the amount of return migration will increase not only to Mexico but to all or most Latin American countries and maybe also to Asia and other regions.
Bro-
ReplyDeletePost once every 24 hrs, not more. Thank you.
Fer-
Reverse migration stats have been in effect for something like 8 yrs now. I keep wanting to hear one Mexican declare, "I just cdn't live among douche bags anymore. I just cdn't do it." But what is douche bag in Spanish? Bolsa de ducha? Fritz Perls usta tell a story abt how Mexicans lvg in the US regarded Americans as corpses. Pretty fair summation, imo. Note that the Spanish word for zombie is zombi. Movie "Woman Walks Ahead" is a gd study of contrast between American robots and people who are alive.
mb
@Walter--and if those immigrant kids want to become good American citizens, they'll end up taking high paying positions with the NSA developing awesome new spying software, or help the Pentagon design more reliable and murderous predator drones or maybe help the douchebags at Uber design better navigation devices for driverless vehicles so several million truck drivers can be put of a job like the factory workers. America provides no end of opportunities for super smart people willing to fuck over others in order to get rich.
ReplyDeleteWafers--speaking of super smart people, I was at a party this past weekend that was also attended by a semi-retired climate scientist who has been an equestrian friend of my wife for about 20 years. He was apoplectic last year when Trump pulled out of the Paris Accords, and this weekend his wife advised us not to bring up the subject with him or he'd go off. But here's the kicker--they own a ten acre horse farm for just the two of them, drive a his/hers gigantic SUV and pickup truck (with horse trailers) and are always jetting off somewhere on exotic vacations. In short, they have about the largest carbon footprint of anyone I personally know. I've never seen a more conspicuous example of the prog "do as I say not as I do" mentality, and believe me I see a LOT of it here in the DC area.
Dahr Jamail documenting the knockout punch Mother Nature is readying for the increasingly farcical catastrophe commonly referred to as "global civilization":
ReplyDeletehttps://truthout.org/articles/how-feedback-loops-are-driving-runaway-climate-change/
http://www.pnas.org/content/115/40/9851
ReplyDeleteScientists produce the first experimental evidence that heavy early television viewing has detrimental effects on cognitive development. In mice, but makes sense re children exposed to strong environmental stimuli
Re: Custer
ReplyDelete“The general he don't ride well anymore.”
The following list is somewhat related and might also interest some Wafers. Despite growing up near #2, it was strangely never mentioned at any of my schools. My father was a history buff who taught me about it.
« To dispel the myth that the large losses suffered on the Little Big Horn in 1876 were a one-time occurrence in U.S. history, a list of the highest-casualty frontier fights is provided. Also, this compilation clearly shows that the East was far more dangerous than Hollywood's fictionalized version of the West...
1 - Ohio, Wabash River 1791 (832)
2 - Pennsylvania, Monongahela River 1755 (606)
3 - Virginia, James River Settlements 1644 (500)
4 - Michigan, River Raisin 1813 (432)
5 - Minnesota, Southwest Settlements 1862 (400)
6 - New Mexico, Rio Grande Settlements 1680 (396)
7 - Pennsylvania, Wyoming Valley 1778 (376)
8 - Virginia, James River Settlements 1622 (347)
9 - Pennsylvania, Grant's Hill 1758 (270)
10 - Montana, Little Big Horn 1876 (268)
[list includes 34 more encounters] A vast array of books and articles were consulted to compile this list... Ultimately, the most commonly cited death toll was used. » From “Deadliest Encounters of Indian Warfare,” VFW Magazine, February 2001.
Maybe it’s just me, but this sounds fucked up.
ReplyDeleteA painting by Camille Pissarro, seized by the Vichy government in 1943 from its Jewish owner Simon Bauer, has been ordered returned to his descendants by a French court. Bauer grandson Jean-Jacques Bauer recognized the painting when it was on loan to a Paris museum in 2017. During a court hearing [in France] last May, [American collector] Bruce Toll, who is also Jewish, said: “French history is none of my business.” He suggested Bauer sue the French state instead of him.” Toll and his wife Robbi, wealthy collectors and patrons of the leading Holocaust museums, have now appealed the return order to France’s highest appeals court.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/02/french-court-orders-return-of-looted-painting-to-jewish-family?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
And, under the heading, “When one war just ain’t enough,” this:
“The US ambassador to Nato has warned Russia that if it does not halt the development of a new cruise missile in violation of a treaty between the countries, the US will “take out” the missile.
“Kay Bailey Hutchison was speaking to reporters about a longstanding issue of contention, a Russian ground-launched cruise missile which Washington says breaks the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).”
US Nato envoy's threat to Russia: stop developing missile or we'll 'take it out'
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/02/us-ambassador-nato-russia-kay-bailey-hutchison?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/03/31/how-to-love-thich-nhat-hanh/
ReplyDelete“...the question then becomes how to grow our own hearts...”
Cas-
ReplyDeleteAin' gonna happen--not for Americans. D.H. Lawrence once referred to a 'hardness' that existed in the center of the American soul, that he said wd not melt. I'm also reminded of the favorite saying of Sokei-An, "holding the lotus to the rock." Sokei-An was the 1st Buddhist teacher to come to America from the East, which he did in 1945, to teach. After several yrs of it, he came up w/this saying as a metaphor for trying to turn Americans into Buddhists. If you hold a lotus against a rock for several yrs, and then let go of it, it just falls off, because the roots of the plant never penetrated the rock. The goal of Buddhism is love and compassion, and ultimately, the giving away of the self to the larger world (the ultimate Wafer path, imo). The goal of the American is to dominate, compete, and control; to 'weaponize' the self, so that it is strong and powerful, superior to other selves. What Americans studying Buddhism tend to achieve is a type of 'spiritual materialism'--Buddhism in the service of the weaponized self. (I've actually seen quite a lot of this myself, esp. in San Fran, where I lived for 5 yrs.) Sokei-An realized the task was hopeless; hence his saying abt the lotus and the rock. It just won't melt, that hardness in the American soul. This is why I have serious doubts abt Dual Process happening in the US: we aren't Japanese, and have no sense of group consciousness or community, and certainly none of love/compassion. How, then, cd we as a nation possibly build an alternative to capitalism, when hustling is in our DNA?
Bedoe-
This is a very long discussion, but it's why I believe that Americans are not merely ignorant, but actually stupid. The brain is a lot more plastic than we usta believe, and there is some research (e.g. Maryanne Wolf at Tufts) suggesting that staring into screens alters the physiology of the brain (e.g. synaptic lengths). Most American households had TV's by 1955, and so we've had much more time to get dumb than other nations. There is also some evidence that Lamarck may have been rt--that some acquired characteristics are inherited (Mt. Sinai study of depression among grandchildren of Holocaust survivors, e.g.). Then there is neo-Lamarckian mimicry, epigenesis, etc. etc.--as I said, a long discussion, and certainly beyond my area of expertise. But with the PC and smartfone, we've become dumb as shit in the last 30 yrs, and it gets worse all the time--an impt factor in our decline.
mb
@FerQ
ReplyDeleteRe. Univisión video. My guess is that most of those returnees were recent arrivals. A phenomenon virtually unreported is the not inconsiderable dislike towards newly-arrived immigrants from established ones. Many chafe over the competition for increasingly scarce low-level jobs and housing. Facing limited options, not a few new immigrants would choose to return.
As for Hispanic immigrants appalled at American zombis, consider this. Hispanics in the US—Mexicans in particular—are often prone to a cultural inferiority complex in which things “traditional” are discarded in favor of things “American”. Something I’ve watched with dismay over my 30-something years, for example, is the deterioration and vanishing of Spanish from traditionally Hispanic communities. It is not uncommon to encounter a stigma of shame attached to the language. Parents often refuse to pass down the language; their children know little or nothing of it, despite pretenses to being “bilingual”. The average level of the written and spoken language in the US today is abysmal compared to what I recall from the 1980s and 1990s (and, admittedly, not much better in the home countries).
My guess is that many, perhaps most, will opt to stay in the US. Even when things get worse.
@Mike R.
Ditch all but Terry Riley; add Carl Ruggles, Charles Ives, Conlon Nancarrow (a Wafer avant la lettre), and Morton Feldman.
Progs, "dem socialists", the future.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYJSuk_GPb0
MB talked about Mericans having hearts of stone. Here’s a good example from Cascadia: a guy spent weeks researching how he could take “adverse possession” of property simply by occupying it, surveyed rural suburban areas outside Seattle for a potential target, then with the assistance of his wife, bludgeoned a 67-year old retired guy to death. A contractor hired to do yardwork inadvertently found the body the next day before the murdering couple could bury it.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/tacoma-man-charged-in-chillingly-cold-blooded-slaying-of-a-stranger-in-order-to-steal-his-home/
Meanwhile, Evergreen College in Olympia, WA has been quiet – maybe too quiet. A professor who supported departed colleague Bret Weinstein and chose to remain at Evergreen reports that freshmen enrollment for fall 2018 was only about 300, a 50% drop, and overall enrollment has dropped to around 2,800 compared to the 2017 enrollment of 3,800 and the 4,200 enrollment level assumed by the college’s budget.
https://hotair.com/archives/2018/09/10/evergreen-state-college-professor-freshmen-enrollment-300/
Wafers-
ReplyDeleteBe sure u.r. always in touch with yr operatic side. In what opera does Musetta sing "Quando men vo"? (fabulous aria)
Jack-
Gd news abt Evergreen. What a collection of p.c. snots. The place definitely needs to go outta business, and the fac and admin severely punished.
Blasé-
Glad 2c u have figured out how the blog works. This recent development in Sweden: wow. I have had some dealings with Big Figures on the American left, and I can tell you that in terms of honesty and integrity, they are no better than the American right. Everybody thinks the fundamental categories are left vs. rt, but the truly fundamental ones are ego vs. decency. The left does NOT have a monopoly on the latter, in my experience.
Hector-
Watch length. Aim for *under* half a page, for a while.
Jack-
There was a survey abt 15 yrs ago, revealed that 24% of Americans said it was OK to use violence in pursuit of yr goals. These murderers are not so outside the norm as we might like to think. Also, 15 yrs later, I'm sure the figure is much higher. My own feeling is that everyone shd bludgeon everyone else; let's just cut to the chase in terms of decline, eh wot? Perhaps we cd institute a National Bludgeon Day (NBD), say every Friday, in which you are free to bludgeon as many people as you like, and there wd be no penalties involved. Whee!
mb
Most people around the world just talk to one another. Only Americans need instructions as to how to converse. Only America wd have Dale Carnegie courses. Jesus, what douche bags:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/16/smarter-living/tips-better-conversations.html?fallback=0&recId=1B2btlEo9ETo03rqVCwcb6orwJ5&locked=0&geoContinent=NA&geoRegion=CMX&recAlloc=contextual-bandit-home-geo&geoCountry=MX&blockId=home-living-vi&imp_id=701393891&action=click&module=Smarter%20Living&pgtype=Homepage
Dr. B- 13th Amendment-
ReplyDelete"Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
It pains me to defend Kan-Ye West, but it is the 'except...' clause that he is complaining about. And he isn't the only one. Did you know that Bill and Hillary had slaves when Bill was governor of Arkansas? Hillary herself made this clear with no compunction-
https://www.currentaffairs.org/2017/06/the-clintons-had-slaves
The US prison system is a disgrace, but there is money to be made so you know that nothing will change. Now of course Kan-Ye thinks that his business will set the slave prisoners free, and his other statements on politics are idiotic as anybody else. But on the 13th Amendment, he has a point.
Dan D-
ReplyDeleteCan't help it; I still think the guy's a moron.
mb
Dr. B: In the NYT article on conversations, did you notice that the lady in the foreground of the photo is clutching a smartphone? This presumably so that she can interrupt her conversation with the second lady if any new message or alert happens to come through the phone. Great way to make your conversation partner feel valued, eh? I see this all the time -- seems to be the new normal. How about if the NYT told people to put their damn phones away and give the person and conversation your full attention as one of the "tips"? Or is this no longer necessary nor does anyone expect it anymore? If so, we are screwed ...
ReplyDeleteDr. Berman and fellow Wafers,
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you all have already covered this article but hoped to be able to share this article from last month. Basically the Trump Administration has publicly acknowledged the reality and severity of climate change, and this has caused ZERO, public reaction.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/trump-administration-sees-a-7-degree-rise-in-global-temperatures-by-2100/2018/09/27/b9c6fada-bb45-11e8-bdc0-90f81cc58c5d_story.html?utm_term=.c856dcae1b04
I am honestly just waiting for something to finally trigger a reaction from the the American people. I anticipate something like bewildered panic.I have also considered that people are going just keep shrugging off these floods, wildfires, rising sea levels, and powerful storms until something happens to them or a family member. If that's the case how many more years can that drag out?
The article implies that the elite fully understand what's happening, have no intention of changing anything and have written every normal person off. Again, it blows my mind that people can't see this and connect the dots.
Shawn-
ReplyDeleteIf there's one thing Americans can't do, it's connect the dots. They also can't care about anything because they have been zombified. In addition, their brains have been monetized and weaponized.
David-
This is happening in Mexico as well. I do occasionally ask people to turn off their fones, so that we can talk w/o interruption. I state this pretty politely. Mexicans don't get hostile abt it, for the most part.
mb
Trump mocks Christine Blasey Ford's testimony...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.cnn.com/2018/10/02/politics/trump-mocks-christine-blasey-ford-kavanaugh-supreme-court/index.html
I have been rewatching the TV show The Sopranos, this time looking at it from a Wafer perspective. I always thought The Sopranos was an indictment of modern American society but I was never sure if the show’s creator David Chase intended that.
ReplyDeleteI recently watched an old interview with David Chase and Peter Bogdanovich and Chase made an interesting statement about the show. At about 14:50 they discuss the violent nature of American society and at 15:38 Chase states that the original idea for the show was that life in America had become so savage and selfish that even a gangster couldn’t take it anymore and had to go to therapy!
The whole interview is interesting especially for fans of the show but I thought that was an interesting statement from David Chase. Here is the link to the interview video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7jgaAfWS64
"Trump has made America less respected than ever"
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2018/10/02/trump-has-made-america-less-respected-than-ever/?utm_term=.244ae06b1cbc
^^ I'm not sure why this was in the Opinions section, since it's an indisputable fact. Trump is doing a tremendous job and deserves another term (I think he'll win again anyways). He IS America unmasked. Trump is also a major cash cow for Jeff Bozo, owner of the Washington Post. He's a great distraction (along with Kavannaugh) from Bozo's obscene wealth and power over our news media. Does anyone else notice the delicious irony here?
@Bill, "Do as I say, not as I do" perfectly sums up some of my progressive relatives and friends. They go on and on about the environment, yet drive gas guzzlers and live out in low density suburbs. They'll also talk about income inequality, but don't ever suggest to put public housing and convenient mass transit in their neighborhoods. Progressive hypocrisy is almost as mind blowing as the pro-life/compASSionate Christian conservative crowd. Americans/Turkeys are masters at virtue signaling.
Hello, Shawn, Dr. MB, and Wafers,
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to climate change, it seems pretty bleak. The climate change now is at a higher rate than PETM, and that's when the tropical plants were growing in the North Pole.
The major contributors of climate change are: 1. Animal Agriculture. 2. Transportation/fossil fuel. 3. Methane from landfills. It is necessary to reduce economic activities in order to have any hope of changing the course - be vegan or eat less meat, don't make/buy cars, travel by public transportation and travel less, produce less, and don't buy so much crap... Politically, it is almost impossible to imagine any government to shun the economy and expect to be in power. Chomsky has said that Bolivia and indigenous people in Canada are the exceptions, but his conclusion was quite pessimistic as well.
Dr. MB, you have said that we live in an Americanized world, but it's quite depressing to think that this Americanized World will likely eventually take everyone, Americans or not, humans or non humans, with it. I agree that Americans are awfully bad at connecting the dots, but I certainly hope the rest of the world will connect the dots...
When I started typing, I thought I had a question, but I guess not. Any thoughts from Wafers would be appreciated.
Enbion
Tom-
ReplyDeleteI usta enjoy the show, when it was running, but I found it interesting that the portrayal of the gang was ultimately sympathetic, murder etc. notwithstanding. Sort of like, "And here's an interesting lifestyle for all of us to contemplate." There really wasn't very much by way of suggesting that this barbaric lifestyle might be immoral. There's also something 'seamless' abt the way that lifestyle fit into America at large; i.e., This is hustling, but in neon. Which is what we have w/Trumpi, of course.
mb
Wafers-
ReplyDeleteWhy in the world are we still hearing from this ghoulish buffoon, whose face is filled w/Botox? I can't understand it.
https://edition.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/10/02/hillary-clinton-kavanaugh-revenge-comment-laughter-sot-vpx.cnn
mb
Hi Dr. Berman and Wafers:
ReplyDeleteGareth Porter has written a report for Truthdig which leans heavily on Bob Woodward's new book "Fear: Trump in the White House" describes in detail meetings in which "He [Trump] has complained bitterly, both in public and in private meetings with aides, about the suite of permanent wars that the Pentagon has been fighting for many years across the Greater Middle East and Africa, as well as about deployments and commitments to South Korea and NATO." In this, I couldn't agree more with Trump - he hasn't apparently mentioned the 800-1000 off-shore US military bases located around the world - maybe he will get to it if the joint chiefs or the CIA don't kill him first.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/could-trump-take-down-the-american-empire/
How the British managed to rule India. Bloody fucking Imperialists. Same shit being done by Amrikans, looks like history repeats itself through the tyranny of assholes. If there is Karma, the imperialists and those who supported them deserve to rot in hell.
ReplyDeleteSteven Pinker as Certified Grief Counselor
George-
ReplyDeleteProblem for me is that Pinker is *giving* me grief! I think Certified Shmuck might be more on point.
Michael-
Actually, Gareth is an old friend of mine, and a smart guy. Hope he's rt, and that Trumpi dismantles the entire military establishment.
mb
MB - Sorry to post in 24 hr to clairfy that the Steven Pinker article is actually a comic satire on Pinker ..haha he definitely is a certified schmuck ..
ReplyDeleteAlso I dont have much hope on Trumpi dismantling the empire. Trump gives 717 billion defense bill a green light
"The National Defense Authorization Act is the most significant investment in our military and our war fighters in modern history," Trump said Monday. "We are going to strengthen our military like never ever before and that's what we did."
@Michael/George--Trump WILL eventually dismantle the America empire, but it won't be his intention. That $717 billion "defense" bill (nearly $100 billion higher that Obama's last budget request for the Pentagon) is a helping drive America towards eventual insolvency. It's also the reason Trump will NEVER be removed from office via impeachment or 25th Amendment. He's greenlighting the largest military budget increase since the Reagan years (with the quiet complicity of the Democrats), and all the idiot progs can do is spend their time going apeshit over every detail concerning the nearly four decade-old, hormone-fueled escapades of a bunch of snotty, overprivileged prep school kids.
ReplyDelete@Brother--it's too long a story to post here, but my wife and I had a similar experience on our last visit to Canada when a total stranger went way out of his way to help us out after my wife had to go to the emergency room. Perhaps the fact that Canadians at least don't have to worry about becoming homeless and dying in the streets if they suffer a major illness or injury in a big factor in them not being so obviously stressed out.
@MB--a musical tribute to the last decent American president. I'll be surprised if even one-tenth the number of people attend Jimmy Carter's funeral when he finally dies as did Reagan's. We didn't deserve the man.
Hello Wafers:
ReplyDeleteWell, this is depressing:
'Truth hurts': Sask. Trump supporters say deep down you like him too
In a new poll conducted by CBC Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan Social Science Research Lab, more than 19 per cent of respondents in this province said they agreed with the U.S. president's values.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/trump-support-saskatchewan-survey-poll-1.4847374
In the online version of the Baffler, the following article by Aaron Timms on the “ideology of the blip,” the notion that no matter what the momentary problem or systemic failure, the trend for humankind and the globalist economic system is ever upward.
ReplyDelete“For the blip thinker, it’s essential to paint the present “moment” not only as an offense to reason, but as historically exceptional—and therefore as an aberration.”
“Reactionary populism, a fraying social contract, the algorithmic toxicity of online debate: in the ideology of the blip these become not the invitation to reconsider the wisdom of our prevailing political economy, but proof that the powerful need to work harder to get “the people” on board with the liberal-capitalist project.”
https://thebaffler.com/latest/this-is-not-a-blip-timms
Morris, Quando m’en vo, also known as Musetta’s Waltz, is from Puccini’s La Bohème. Here is Renee Fleming singing the aria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYhBqYZGVvc
ReplyDeleteArias from various operas offer some of the most fabulous music in the world. I actually grew up listening to opera and classical music, and it still makes my heart sing.
@George Carlin - Steve Pinker - example of how incipid vapid comtrived easily refuted statistical rubbish passes for intellectual brilliance in the US. Not quite David Brooks - god how can a guy like that exist! There appears to be no one like Gore Vidal in the media anymore. Another sign of steep decline.
ReplyDeleteJohn-
ReplyDeleteThis parallels what happened in the late Roman Empire. Where once there were Cicero and Virgil, now there were hacks. We have their writings; even their Latin grammar was incorrect. Pinker, Brooks, are turkeys. And who adulates turkeys? Other turkeys!
Sar-
What % of Americans have heard of La Boheme, or cd say who Puccini was? 0.01%? That many?
mb
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/02/12/the-strange-and-twisted-life-of-frankenstein
ReplyDelete"We humans must love our technologies as we do our children...for in rough and careless hands they will become monstrous."
A second really good piece on Frankenstein and modern mythos this year (after this from Jill Lepore
Wafers-
ReplyDeleteOnly a demented Puritan culture like that of the US cd come up w/the concept of "slut-shaming." Jesus, what next? Wafers, pls weigh in on this exciting new development.
mb
Greetings MB and Wafers,
ReplyDeleteI'm tired of this piddly shit: Trumpo said this; Kava-nut did that! Enuf, already. I don't want Kellyanne Conway, I want Brittany Carulli. I don't want Betsy DeVos, gimme Rachel Butterball. I don't want Kirstjen Nielsen, I want Tracey McCloud. Fuck Ben Carson, lets call Lorenzo Riggins. Pompeo? Wadsworth will do! Is this too much to ask? If only MB woulda been selected to take the helm of the Ministry of Collapse, it would all be over by now.
Miles
ps: Pence, Schmence... We want Erin Schmalz!
Jeff-
ReplyDeleteSure, but what abt Reince Priebus? Poor shmuck, discarded like used toilet paper. Reince, the world failed to understand you! Can you ever forgive us?
The truth is that--when you really think abt it (=beyond the scope of 99% of the population)--Brittany and Tracey and Lorenzo and Shaneka and Freddy are *really* what is going on this country, and I'm not kidding! Kavanaugh and Kellyanne et al. are meaningless distractions--which is where the attention of an addled populace will inevitably be. Until we penetrate the deep meaning of Laquisha Jones, the admin at Evergreen State College, slut-shaming, and the sheer grotesqueness of Hillary, we will not be able to Make America Great Again.
mb
Dr. B-
ReplyDeleteI was going to comment on the 13th Amendment still countenancing slavery, but Dan D beat me to it. It's no wonder we have 25% of the world's prisoners with only 5% of its population.
I'm with Sar on opera. I'm going to see "Don Giovanni" 3 times this season- at the MET and at two colleges. I never tire of seeing "The Don" dragged down to Hell, because it never happens in the real world- bad guys getting what's coming to them!
Elderly PUMMELING!!!
ReplyDeletehttps://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/10/02/market-basket-parking-spot-fight-danvers/
Students lighting teachers on fire now!! 🔥
Teacher's hair torched, student charged with aggravated assault at Tennessee high school
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/10/02/teachers-hair-set-fire-student-expelled-tennessee-high-school/1506556002/
Prof. Berman- In Spanish douchebag would be pendejo. In Mexican Spanish another word for douchebag would be culero.
ReplyDeleteHector- Do you think that many Latinos would stay in the US even if the environment for them becomes something like Nazi Germany in the 1930s. When the US collapses, many Americans will start looking for scapegoats. You mentioned something that is both interesting and sad and that is how many Latinos are prone to develop an inferiority complex in the US. I used to always wonder why that was the situation. In my next post I will give what my observations and what I thought were the reasons for those sad circumstances.
Fer-
ReplyDeleteActually, pendejo means asshole, or shmuck. Strictly speaking, it doesn't translate as douche bag. As for culero, I have no idea, altho culo, of course, is ass.
As far as slut-shaming goes, I think it might be neat if Wafers organized some pro-slut demonstrations. Signs might include
SLUTTY AND PROUD
SLUTS NEED LOVE TOO
REAL MEN LOVE SLUTS
SLUTS OVER AMERICA
etc. Wafers are encouraged to come up with more slogans, plus a series of activities for a planned Slut Day March. T-shirts as well.
mb
Series of recent shootings of policemen...unclear who is doing the shooting and why. Is this the 21stC version of Mark Ames' bk, "Going Postal"? Is all of this somehow political?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/us/south-carolina-officers-shot.html?action=click&module=In%20Other%20News&pgtype=Homepage&action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage
MB -- There is a slut walk on Oct 6th in LA. Should Wafers join and cheer them on ?
ReplyDeleteHEY HO SAVE A HOE
SLUT LIVES MATTER
YOU SHALL NOT GRAB ME BY THE PUSSY
Amber Rose Slut Walk
On one side are the dumb progs and on another the Dotard Trumpi and his MAGA gang. What a shitshow ....
Slutwalk/MeToo and Donald Trump
As Trump suggested that Ford's inability to remember mundane details from 36 years ago meant that her accusation was false (he failed to mention that corresponding evidence has backed up her timeline), the crowd responded eagerly with a "Lock her up!" chant.
Slutwalk itself hasn't gone away, although -- as inevitably happens in our capitalist system -- what was once hip and organic has been co-opted by corporate culture. Now there's an annual Slutwalk in Los Angeles, headed up by celebrity personality Amber Rose, that involves costumes, musical acts and VIP tickets.
George-
ReplyDeleteJesus, and here I thought I had invented the idea! Already, we need an Alternative Slutwalk. I tell ya, this country can turn anything into a hustle. Can't we just have a nice little noncommercial slutwalk? Where ordinary, noncelebrity sluts can gather and celebrate their sluttiness? Maybe something called "Sluts on Toast," where sluts just lie around on large pieces of toast strategically placed around the town. (Anything is better on toast, really.)
I hafta admit that on this issue, I am very pro-slut. If I were to go out on a date, and the woman would start things off (once we had ordered our martinis) by saying: "Look, I have a confession to make; I am an utter and total slut," my response would be: "Personally, I am very pro-slut, have always had a huge admiration for sluts, and look forward to exploring the topic with you in great detail." And (ideally) she says, "At last! A man who understands me!"
I keep wondering if Sarah is a slut, and if this dinner scene might ever play out on a large block of ice.
mb
I thought this was a joke!! Can’t wait for the autobio episode where the DOJ watches bankers fleece the entire world and then the dramatic crescendo is the AG deciding to prosecute nobody
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/reliable-source/wp/2017/10/02/eric-holder-to-produce-new-legal-drama-for-cbs/
I sometimes listen to climatologist Paul Beckwith and in his latest youtube video he described changing weather patterns in North America and causing "tornado alley" to move northward. If you're not familiar with it, tornado alley is the region of the US that we have traditionally associated with Tornadoes, like Kansas, Oklahoma, or North Texas.
ReplyDeleteI'd encourage anyone here to look up this new trend because there has been record setting tornadic activity in the Northeast, Midwest, and southern Canada this year, with Ottawa being hit just 12 days ago. While surfing the web I came across this very Waferish news story about Detroit. Yes, there actually were 2 tornadoes that hit the area that night but folks were more upset that they were missing their TV show!
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tornado-warning-interrupts-this-is-us-season-premiere-for-detroit-area-fans-outraged/
Climate change is physically threatening them and Americans still don't get it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMra7pPFqmE
Shawn-
ReplyDeleteI'm puzzled that they didn't call 911. But this does show where American heads are at.
Sitora-
Welcome to the US of Turkeydom. The country doesn't need to be parodied; 'normal' activities are doing the job.
mb
Announcing the ALTERNATIVE NON-PROFIT SLUTSIDLE:
ReplyDeleteVolunteer for WDS and participate in these great activities (T-shirt possibilities!) -
- Slut Hut: A booth for signing up for WDS-sanctioned dates, sluts and their supporters both welcome! Fulfill the WDS slogan "Bringing Merica Together Is Great Again"
- Slut Rut: A dance event where Wafers "walk the talk" dancewise and everyone leaves empowered.
- Fake Bake Overfeed: Where unedited conversation meets pie! Get ready for raw transparency as Wafers perform ritual smears with half-baked berry pies (a Cascadian favorite!)
Yes, we're feeling a bit feisty in Cascadia this morn.
Jack-
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of hangin' out in a slut hut. But we need a song for it, along the lines of "Sugar Shack."
mb
On 4 May 1970, four students protesting the bombing of Cambodia on the campus of Kent State University were shot and killed by Ohio National Guardsmen.
ReplyDeleteThat was then. This is now:
Plans by the Kent State School of Theater and Dance to mount a production of West Side Story have been abandoned because of student protests. Latinx** students objected to the selection of non-Latinx and non-white students, including a black student, for the three leading Latinx roles.
https://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article219416530.html
Rich folks everywhere exult as the plebs turn on one another over increasingly trivial matters.
**Latinx, a gender neutral/non-binary term, has apparently become a preferable designator for Latina, Latino. (KENTWIRED.com)
The plural is Latinxs. (Please try to keep up, will ya?)
Wafers,
ReplyDeleteIf you're a fan of sluts, you're gonna love this video. From America's finest news network, The Onion!
https://youtu.be/iMucmRlPZK0
Derek
MB, Wafers
ReplyDeleteLots of articles in French newspapers "celebrating" one year of #MeToo. What did we achieve really in a year? Whereas it's great that douchebag pervs like Weinstein were finally exposed for who they really were, I think that #MeToo actually did more harm than good. Now all men live with a constant axe above their head. Any inappropriate joke, any sexual innuendo in a conversation, can make them lose their job or lynched on social media. It's not as bad as in the US in France just yet, but it's getting there. But hey, in terms of collapse and bad-is-good, this is actually good news. As men and women become more isolated from each other and stop dating altogether, this will only increase the Spiritual Death of the West. At least we still have wine, cheese and music.
Kanye
Hola Wafers
ReplyDelete@John S. No Gore Vidal, steep decline indeed. His book "Washington D.C." examined the internal family dysfunction Wafers have noted for a while and which troubles me today. The truth from "out there amerika" which Wafers document daily can be depressing. Strange days have found us.
@ GSWH re: cop shootings. Probably political. Many, not just Wafers, have realized that the rotten heart holds nothing sacred any more, least of all another's life. Complete collapse is not far off in the land of the free, etc. Probably world wide.
On the sunny side - I laughed a lot last weekend reading the "sorta-auto-biography" titled "The Man Without Qualities" by Mauricio Belman. Truly enjoyable. Muchas gracias, amigo.
@ Shawn. Since reading "The Limits to Growth" back in 1991 and spending time with an Alaskan fishing guide friend, it has seemed obvious that the "hoax" of climate change is the end of things as homo sapiens have known them.
"I'M NUTS FOR SLUTS!" "S" as in SCIENCE! O&D!
Favorable opinion of the US, 2018. Israel: 83% South Korea: 80% Japan: 67% Brazil: 55% Italy: 52% UK: 50% Spain: 42% Canada: 39% France: 38% Mexico: 32% Germany: 30% Russia: 26% (Pew Research)
ReplyDeleteVery interested to know what the figure was for the US itself!
mean-
ReplyDeleteWhy TMWQ hasn't sold a million copies by now, I can't figure out.
NUTS FOR SLUTS is gd.
Derek-
I love it! A great documentary, w/sluts outta control. Another marching sign I wd suggest:
SLUTS TO THE BARRICADES!
Jas-
I don't think there's an upper limit to the depth to which American heads are getting rammed up American asses.
mb
http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1881
ReplyDeleteA stylish overview of Levi-Strauss and his significance
Waferinos-
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing Kavanawful will be confirmed and take his place on the Supreme Court. Wonderful development, from a declinist pt of view. All American institutions need to be discredited, and one way to do this is to see to it that their personnel consist of turkeys and douche bags. Kav certainly fills the bill. Go Bolti, Go Kavo, Go Trumpi, etc.
His success will also serve to deal another crushing blow to the progs, altho what cd wake them up is beyond my imagination. What clowns, thinking that the US has a future. Anyway, I assume they will just gear up for the next useless fight.
mb
Prof. Berman- There is no literal or exact translation for douchebag in Spanish. There are some words in Spanish that have many meanings and that can serve as equivalents. Pendejo means asshole but in the Latino cultures it is a word that is used for a person that is stupid, obnoxiuos, or unpleasant. Culero has nothing to do with ass but it is a stronger word than pendejo and culero is used for a person who acts to harm others. Another word commonly used is cabron. In Mexico, cabron can be an insult or a compliment. If used as a compliment, cabron means someone who is skillfull and is good at what he/she does. If used as an insult, it would be a person who is devious, treacherous or does awful or harmful things to other ppl. In Puerto Rico, cabron usually means someone who is a cuck or cuckold but it is also used for someone who is devious or a son of a bitch.
ReplyDeleteHector- due to the size limit, I will post my observations about our Latino ppl and communities in my next posts. They will come in 2 or 3 parts.
Fer-
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm aware of all that, except that there really is no Spanish word for douche bag, as I originally said. Fin de la historia.
mb
MB -- Haha, "Sluts on Toast".. that would be yummy :) .. talking of the GSWH and Sarah Palin, how about a movie on your ice escapades? Shall we name it "The Seer and The Slut" ? And who would you like as the lead actors? Talking of Palin reminds me of what Tucker Carlson (the idiot over at Fox News) had said about her: "supreme commander of MILFistan"..its not right, but it makes me chuckle..
ReplyDeleteRecent one by Umair Why America stayed a backwards society and collapsed
America, it seems, because it had a devils’ birth, born in blood, bathed in tears, a child raised in the darkness of slaughter and supremacy, knows no way to atone. Perhaps there is no way to atone for America’s sins. Maybe they are there to haunt us until we are undone by them. Perhaps America’s curse is that of a promised land — to also, therefore, be a backwards place, in which people fight forever, tribe against tribe, man against man, woman against woman, for whom really deserves the sweet and succulent fruit of the garden.
Aeschylus’ Libation Bearers, an old favorite, via ahencyclopedia https://www.ancient.eu/amp/1-17431/
ReplyDeleteWafers-
ReplyDeleteOne day away: the progs will be crushed, and a jackass will sit on the highest but no longer much respected court in the land. O&D, amigos.
mb
SLUTS on PARADE!
ReplyDeleteOr
FOUR SCORE and SEVEN SLUTS AGO
Or
THE WORLD IS MY IDEA...of SLUTS.
Lyrics to *Slutty Hut*, sung to the tune “Sugar Shack”:
ReplyDeleteSlut, slut, slut, slut Slutty Hut
Ah, there’s a snazzy little hut down the street
And everybody calls it the, Slutty Hut
Well, it’s just a declinist’s prog-free place to meet
Slut and Wafer that’s really neat
That’s a big reason why I’ve got to get back
A – To that Slutty Hut
Whoa, Wafer, to that Slutty Hut
There’s this cute brainy slut, who’s a thinkin’ there
She’s been hopin’ to meet a Wafer fair
I’m gonna talk a lotta Berman, maybe Spengler too
Share declinist love, both watch the show, lasting woo
You can see now why there’s never a shortcut
A – To that Slutty Hut, whoa Wafer
To that Slutty Hut
Yeah, Wafer, to that Slutty Hut
Hola MB and Wafers,
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nybooks.com/articles/2018/10/25/suffocation-of-democracy/
Miles
They keep saying the Kav hearings are a sham. Of course but America is a vast sham. It's what you get from a nation of hustlers and swindlers, the chief difference being whether self-promotion for money is done 'legally' or not. And most of the dem protests to Kav are virtue signalling from careerists, little more. The 'wisdom of the American people' Lol!
ReplyDeleteWafers-
ReplyDeleteIt's encouraging to see that the slut-theme has evoked such a huge positive response. Clearly, we have no patience with slut-shaming.
mb
ps: I think we need to develop a program called slut-shaming shaming (SSS). I.e., anytime a slut get shamed, we step in and shame the shamers. However, we need hard evidence that the slut in question really is a slut. If there's one thing that pisses me off, it's a pseudo-slut. (Altho I wd still be opposed to pseudo-slut shaming.)
ReplyDeletemb
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteI thought you all would get a kick out of this article
https://areomagazine.com/2018/10/02/academic-grievance-studies-and-the-corruption-of-scholarship/
wherein three thoughtful critics of the academic frivo-left got the most outlandish identity centered papers (7) accepted for publication in various journals. Key quote:
"This is the primary point of the project: What we just described is not knowledge production; it’s sophistry. That is, it’s a forgery of knowledge that should not be mistaken for the real thing. The biggest difference between us and the scholarship we are studying by emulation is that we know we made things up."
Be well, though the U.S.A. is not
O&D ya'll
Mike:
ReplyDeleteI certainly hope that you don't have a daughter who goes to a college prep high school. Perhaps if a boy throws her down on a bed and holds his hand over her mouth, you will just feel that it is youthful highjinks. Ha , ha! No matter. Boys will be boys, right?
Servo:
You got it right. The youthful "highjinks" were the just the opening rounds of this person's true colors coming out. If you have no empathy for fifteen year old girls, how can you possibly empathize with a person who is being tortured?
That this monster was appointed to the highest legislative body in the land will not be forgotten. Rather, respect for this institution will (and is) decreasing at an exponential rate. I speak as a woman who endured such treatment in times when it was considered "inappropriate" to mention it.